


Prince of Cowardice

by Takophin



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Angst, Friendship, Physical Disability, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-23
Updated: 2016-07-10
Packaged: 2018-05-28 13:38:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 31,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6331327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Takophin/pseuds/Takophin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rather than telling the truth, Yanagi Renji would rather run away, even if it means sacrificing his right hand, even if it means spending his last year of junior high school in Hyoutei Academy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Sitting at his studying desk in his room, Yanagi looked vacantly through the window in front of him at the impenetrable darkness outside. With slight difficulty he rested his cellphone on his left ear with his left hand. The maneuvering with his non-dominant hand would take some time to get accustomed to, he told himself

" _Renji."_ The voice coming from the other side of the line was tender, rather uncharacteristic of the vice captain of Rikkaidai's tennis team. It did not however lose its firmness. _"Yukimura is hospitalized. It will not be as easy to lead the team to its third national victory. We promised him that we will wait for his return undefeated."_

Yanagi could clearly discern the slight hesitation in his words. The news of Yukimura's hospitalisation had occurred at the most unfavorable timing, right after obtaining their second consecutive national championship title. It was a constant struggle to overcome the fall of their captain, even after several months crawled by. This was especially so for Sanada, the person that knew Yukimura the longest. Yanagi was painfully aware of that.

It made this even more excruciating. If Yukimura's timing was bad enough, Yanagi's timing was like a stab to the back after a stab to the gut.

"Genichirou," Yanagi was subconsciously dragging this conversation. He convinced himself that his friend at least could use some consolation, that, and he was not a liar. "You are not alone."

" _I know. That's why,"_ There was a momentary pause, one that would have wavered Yanagi's resolve had it lasted any longer. Sanada took a deep breath and said his resolve, loud and clear. _"Renji, we will remain victorious."_

It was a declaration that left no room for options. An oath filled with so much tenacity that it brought even the most surreal dream real. Yanagi's heart throbbed with excitement, the same feeling as when they emerged victorious in their first national championship. It would happen again this year. Sanada would lead the team and make it happen, Yanagi was certain. He had always admired Sanada's unwavering resolution, one that made him fitting to be an Emperor.

However...

" _I'll see you tomorrow after school. I want to go through this year's plan for the team. We'll start work from day one."_

Yanagi smiled bitterly at Sanada's words as apprehension dawned on him. He remained silent. Closing his eyes, he breathed in to calm himself. His right hand suddenly smarted; the pain directly shot to his brain, a constant reminder of the reality.

There were so many ways Yanagi could approach this situation, ways that might alleviate the pain for his friend. But Yanagi just had to approach him in the manner he knew best. It made him nauseous, the uncanny similarity to the scene three years ago that he was imposing onto this situation.

"...See you later, Genichirou."

What a coward.

Yanagi cut the line immediately. He dared not continue the call even one second longer lest his resolve would come crashing down. Clenching his phone tightly until the outline of the phone was embedded in his palm, Yanagi lowered his forehead until it touched his desk, bowing down as if asking for forgiveness.

He could not stay in Rikkaidai. This was the best for the team. Yanagi kept repeating to himself those words, for regardless of the accuracy of those words, Yanagi strongly believed that to be the truth.

His eyes scrutinized his right wrist that rested across his lap. No bruise or any visible indication that might give him away. He had to keep it that way. For this plan to work, Yanagi needed as clean of a slate as possible.

Yanagi closed his eyes, forcing his nerves to relax. Let him enjoy this tranquility a bit longer, for he knew in less than eight hours, everything would start falling apart.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The preamble to his decision

Sanada was at a loss.

He was not expecting to find an unlit, empty club room the moment he swung the door open. And unless the world was turning upside down, Yanagi was _never_ unpunctual. Perhaps his friend had an urgent matter to attend to- but even should that be the case Yanagi would normally have the time to alert him.

An ominous premonition had been haunting Sanada the entire day. There was something off with Yanagi's evasive dismissal that Sanada could not put a finger on. Perhaps he was being ludicrously paranoid,excessively worried that Yanagi might suddenly drop with grave illness like Yukimura did.

Sanada decided against waiting and slammed the club door shut. Having to count minutes pass would only make him grew more restless. He might as well use the time to search the school out-and-out.

Entering the school building, he saw the portable white board where papers listing names of students and the class they were assigned to were attached. Being the first day of school, some students would be reassigned to new classroom. Sanada walked closer and scrutinized paper by paper to find his friend's name.

Nothing.

Sanada was about take another inspection but stopped upon catching sight of a small piece of white paper taped over the last entry of class 3-F's students.

Carefully Sanada peeled off the tape. The rectangular paper gave way, revealing a name that Sanada could not believe. _Yanagi Renji._

Was his friend retained? Did he transfer out of Rikkaidai? Could he possibly be expelled?

Anger, confusion; waves of mixed emotions crashed upon him. He could not stand this irregularity. Storming out of the place, he sought his half-Brazillian teammate whose name he had seen listed under the same class. He wasted no time confronting Jackal immediately upon finding him walking towards him in the middle of the hallway.

"Jackal, have you seen Renji today?" His questions were thrown in haste, every words were delivered with great sense of urgency. Jackal was baffled at the raw display of emotions.

"N-no…" He replied hesitantly. "Did something happen?"

Sanada pressed for more. "Was his name called during attendance taking?"

Jackal did not take long to answer. "No. Is he supposed to be in the same class as me? I didn't see his name in the list."

"His name is there, _removed._ "

Sanada promptly retrieved his cell phone from his pocket and dialled Yanagi's number, leaving a befuddled and worried Jackal staring at him.

Five monotonous beats were emitted from the phone before it gave up on trying to connect to the receiver. It was only four beats on his second attempt, and the third attempt was cut off before the second beat even ended. A deliberate move.

His friend was hiding something.

"Damn it, Renji!"

Clinging onto the last thread of hope, Sanada pressed the button and dialed for the fourth and last time.

* * *

"Yanagi Renji!"

Yanagi's mind snapped back into attention. He took a deep breath, and slowly pulled his left hand out of his pocket away from his cell phone. The four consecutive calls he had terminated gave him a clear idea of the caller's identity. He should have ignored it, silenced the vibration. Instead he let his feelings dictated his moves, and the careless way he had ended the call would definitely cost him. He had paid enough price for this. He did not want torn relationship to be added to it.

"For a scholarship recipient I have expected you to be more attentive, Yanagi Renji." Rebuked the teacher in front of him. He was back in the face of reality. He was in Hyoutei Academy, currently discussing the terms of his final junior high school year with the head teacher in the teacher's office. Such was the reality that Yanagi could never even imagine happening, until now.

"My apologies, Mr. Kurosawa."

The teacher let out a tired sigh. "I still can't understand why you, a senior student, would receive a scholarship at this time. No matter how outstanding your performances had been, this was anything but appropriate."

Yanagi remained silent.

"Anyway I shall not debate with the principal's decision. Have you been attentive to my words, you would have understood the behavior this school expects from you. I shall not repeat my words."

"And before you leave, here are some forms for you to fill." The teacher placed on the table between them a stack of papers which Yanagi approximated to consist of fifteen sheets.

"These are for your personal details, subject combinations and after-school activities. Return these forms to me by tomorrow. Oh, surely you have received all the school necessities- uniforms, guide book and such?"

Yanagi nodded.

"That's all then. I'm the one in charge of you so feel free to come to me if you need help." Mr. Kurosawa ended with a template sentence. Yanagi knew that he was all alone in this scheme. It seemed it would unfortunately stay that way throughout the year.

As Yanagi stood and bowed deeply to bid his farewell, a hand touched his left shoulder gently. Taken aback, Yanagi looked up to find Mr. Kurosawa whispering softly to his ear in an affectionate tone that had been absent throughout their conversation.

"The final year is going to be rough, but do try to enjoy your only year here in Hyoutei, okay?"

Yanagi bowed deeply once again, expressing his silent gratitude at the token greeting words. No matter how insincere, it helped him convince himself to not dwell on the move he had made. He excused himself out of the teacher's room and walked back to his classroom with the stack of papers.

As he made his way, he couldn't help but to feel alienated like a black sheep amongst the white. The dark yellow blazer he wore instead of the usual dark green, the red tie instead of the green and white stripes…The things he saw too, like the colors of the walls that he walked past and all the foreign faces he saw around him- everything about Yanagi Renji changed drastically. It all told Yanagi one thing. _He should not belong here._

It was only the first day, he reasoned logically. He should grow accustomed to it eventually. But no matter how hard Yanagi tried to shake it off, to mentally convince himself out of it, he still felt like an outsider.

"It's my decision." Yanagi firmly reminded himself under his breath. Mr. Kurosawa was right, he had a rough year ahead of him.

* * *

The first day of school in Hyoutei had gone as expected. Yanagi was thrown disdainful looks by most people he had come across with, which Yanagi attributed to either his past as a Rikkaidai student or his new reputation as a unexpected scholarship holder. Lessons, thankfully, were on par with Rikkaidai that it could keep Yanagi's restless mind busy.

That being said, he needed to make his move now. He had no time to waste.

Yanagi approached one of his classmates in class 3-H after school. This first fellow he spoke to in Hyoutei was someone he was familiar with as the 'Data Master'.

"Oshitari Yuushi." Yanagi greeted the seated figure as he stood diagonally across Oshitari's desk. The addressed person took a curious glance up from the novel he was reading.

"Aren't you Rikkaidai's Yanagi Renji?" Oshitari replied nonchalantly in his Kansai accent. If Yanagi was affected by the mention of his previous school, he did a great job not showing it. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"This." Yanagi pulled out a sheet of paper from his bag and placed it on top of Oshitari's desk. On it was written: _After School Activity Application Form._ Oshitari's pokerface gave way to dull interest.

"Hey," Oshitari turned his gaze from the paper to the towering figure. "Are you _sure_ you're applying to _Hyoutei_ 's tennis club?"

Yanagi nodded carefully.

Oshitari flipped his book closed and picked the paper up for closer inspection, his emotions was unreadable. "You are seriously applying for-"

"Before you questioned me further on my intention, yes, I do intend to join Hyoutei Academy's tennis club." Yanagi interjected concisely. "In addition, I have a favor to ask."

Setting down the piece of paper on the table, Oshitari brought his two hands under his chin and gave the expression that showed his lackluster curiosity. "And that is?"

"Hyoutei tennis club room is equipped with technologies to assist the training of members, correct?"

Oshitari nodded.

Yanagi continued. "Where could I borrow the key to the room?"

Oshitari considered the question for a moment. "I can get you the key." He answered casually. Yanagi raised an eyebrow, favors never come that easily.

Oshitari took a glance at the novel on his table. On the cover was a photo of a couple holding their hands together as they stood in the rain with the title _Love in the Rain_ printed above them. He gave a coy smile. "Well then, how about a bribe?"

"Pardon me?"

"A book. Just bribe me with a novel and I'll get you the key." Oshitari stated simply, as if they were talking about the most trivial thing in the world.

Needless to say, Yanagi was dumbfounded. Had it been Yanagi on the blunette's seat, there was only 30% chance Yanagi would approve the request. The person asking was a former member of a rival school. Trust had to be built before Yanagi would allow the person near the clubroom

The simplicity in Oshitari's tone made him believe that Oshitari was merely joking, yet he seemed earnest about the ridiculous condition he proposed. Yanagi was familiar with those who had twisted sense of priority (he had one on his team before) but he did not think the man of 1000 techniques was one of them.

If this was how Oshitari wanted to play the game, then Yanagi would follow suit.

"Very well. Any personal preference that I should take note of?"

Oshitari smirked. "No. You're free to give me any book."

 _You're free to guess which book can serve as a bribe_ , Yanagi caught the underlining message behind his words. Knowing that the deal was not as simple as Oshitari tried to make it to be gave Yanagi a twisted sense of relief. Upon having to make the decision to come here, Yanagi no longer believed the existence of miracles.

Ending their conversation, Oshitari grabbed his novel, the form and his bag as he stood up. "It's almost time for practice. Shall we go, Yanagi Renji?"

Yanagi stepped aside to give way for Oshitari before he followed behind. Unconsciously his left hand clenched the fabric of the sleeve. He took a deep breath. He would finally meet the other Hyoutei regulars- not as a rival or as a spectator, but as a fellow member. And _Atobe_ too,this time as the captain- _his_ captain.

His mind drifted to the first day of school one year- or even two years ago. He had always walked to the tennis club as a proud member of it. He was undoubtedly a skilled player and even a part of the 'Big Three' in the club that had brought the team to championship. Now he felt as if he was dragging feet made of lead. No, it was a feeling more intense than dreadfulness. With every step he took, his heart throbbed as if trying to break out of the cage. He could hear the sound of his heartbeat loud and deafening.

He was drowning in sea of noise. His right hand smarted, pain buzzing inside his head. There was not enough oxygen for him to breathe. _This is reality_. His left hand gripped the fabric tighter, tighter until his nails bite into his palm.

"Yanagi?"

Yanagi gasped, releasing breath that he did not know he had been holding. They were in the hall outside the classroom. Oshitari was about five steps ahead of him, looking at him with a mildly puzzled face.

"Something wrong?"

Yanagi stared blankly at his soon-to-be teammate. Forcing himself to relax, his left hand slowly let go of the fabric. Several students expressed their annoyance at the two figures blocking the way in the middle of the hall, but none were interested enough to pay closer attention. Oshitari silently waited for the former Rikkai student to make his move.

After some time, Oshitari sighed and stepped back to where Yanagi was standing. He extended his right hand, which was holding the form towards Yanagi. "You can take this form back and-" Oshitari was abruptly stopped when Yanagi's left hand suddenly pushed his hand down hard.

"My apologies, Oshitari. Let us hence." Yanagi trudged ahead of Oshitari, who threw a questioning look at the back of Yanagi's head. He shrugged.

"The rest is up to you." Oshitari muttered before he casually caught up with Yanagi.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: We have Yanagi interacting with a member of Hyoutei, Oshitari. Next up, Yanagi faced what he dreaded the most, Hyoutei's tennis club.
> 
> Funfact: Yuushi is said to have transferred school six times. I pity the kid..


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one thing Yanagi had feared most

Atobe was about to exit his classroom with Kabaji behind when Oshitari appeared out of nowhere and blocked his path, as if he had been waiting for him.

It was late in the evening and Atobe and Kabaji were the only two person in the classroom before Oshitari appeared. The setting sun illuminated the classroom and its occupants with a orange hue. How romantic, just the setting Oshitari would have liked for confessions.

"What do you want from me, Oshitari?" As usual, the question was filled with an air of arrogance. Oshitari indifferently noted that Atobe did not expect and wish for Oshitari's presence at the moment. Unfortunately Oshitari was not the complying type.

Atobe was in no mood for games, so he immediately cut to the chase. "What is Yanagi Renji of Rikkaidai doing here?"

Atobe cocked one eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"Yanagi Renji came here in his third year through _scholarship_. If anyone can make that happen, it would be the guy who pronounced himself the king of the school on his first freshman day." Oshitari jabbed.

"That is common sense."

Oshitari's patience was slowly eroded by Atobe's artful yet supercilious way of answering. Atobe was obviously ignoring the intention behind Oshitari's word, which further confirmed Atobe's involvement in Yanagi Renji's sudden transfer.

"Transferring school is normal, but transferring in his _third_ year through 'scholarship' is not. I would know; I've transferred school six times. It's against the education regulation. The point is, I can't think of a logical reason as to why you are doing this, Atobe."

Atobe's observant eyes flicked for a second with raw emotion. With a judging glare one he would usually give to 'peasants', he forced Oshitari aside to give way and strode forward, Kabaji followed behind. They had walked about five steps before Atobe suddenly halted.

Standing in silence away from each other, Atobe spoke without turning his back.

"A king's duty is to help people who supplicate before his feet. Motives are only for peasant who can't control their greed."

With that Atobe exited the picture with Kabaji, leaving Oshitari to his own thoughts.

* * *

"My name is Yanagi Renji. I'll be in your care from now on." Those were Yanagi's model introduction to his classmates. The reactions varied accordingly; as expected, the tennis club members were in uproar while the rest were mildly intrigued. Only whether one was aware of Yanagi being a former Rikkaidai student made the difference.

It was already uncomfortable with more than half of his classmates being a tennis club member. Hyoutei tennis club had a ridiculously large population. Now Yanagi had to face the entirety of the school population that belongs to the tennis club- all two hundred of them.

Following Oshitari's steps, they walked past the outdoor courts, mostly were occupied by a group of freshmen and a leading senior. Usual practice for both regulars and non-regulars should start in five minutes and twenty seconds according to the schedule. Even so, most of the members were already present.

Yanagi observed how most of the freshmen seemed unfazed by their presence- _his presence_ \- even if their group leaders did. They would look up for a second before continuing in their tracks. Yanagi seemed to have commanded the members' absolute attention, whether it was because he was an unfamiliar face amongst the sophomores and seniors or because he was recognizable as one of the three demons in Rikkaidai. Nonetheless, he despised the spotlight thrusted upon him.

"Usually new members will start off with a group practice." Oshitari began as they walked past a court with freshmen practicing their swings inside. "But since you're a senior and also a seasoned player, I guess you can just join the rest of us."

Yanagi would beg to differ. But talking about it now would not make any difference.

They continued walking along the courts until they reached a concrete stairs leading down to a stadium-like building. The open building supported three courts and even seats for audiences.

 _Atobe_ , Yanagi could easily recognize the leader figure that was giving instructions to the older members. Beside him was his trusted aide, Kabaji Munehiro. Yanagi could spot each and every one of the Hyoutei regular members that he had faced before as a Rikkaidai player.

They stopped at the entrance.

His heart was racing. What was this feeling? Trepidation? His left hand grabbed his right wrist, clenching to the point the pain rushed through his every nerves, waking him up from the fear paralyzing him.

He had to face the music.

"I'm ready." He told Oshitari who had stopped short before the entrance, waiting for him.

Without words, Oshitari entered the arena. All eyes immediately fell onto the new comer, especially one that was foreign. Yanagi followed suit with as much determination as he could muster. The bitter reaction that followed was well anticipated.

"Rikkaidai's Yanagi Renji!" A red head jumped out of the crowd. Mukahi Gakuto, class 3-D, sprung towards the intruder. "What are you doing here?!"

"Yeah." A student with brown ponytail chipped in. Shishido Ryo, class 3-C glared at Yanagi. "Trying to spy on Hyoutei or something, huh?"

Apparently the school's sport outfit he was wearing and the tennis gear he had with him was not enough of a statement.

Their statements broke the silent crowd into whispering commotion. Yanagi looked at Atobe, hoping that the captain would help him out. When he only earned a hard stare, Yanagi understood that he was asking too much of him. He had to do this alone.

From his standing position, he bowed down from waist. "Yanagi Renji, class 3-F. I'll be joining Hyoutei's tennis club from today onwards. Please take good care of me."

The commotion broke into uproar. Still bowing down, he could see a shadow approaching and he stood up. Shishido was staring up at him, eyes filled with contempt. "One of the three demons of Rikkaidai joining Hyoutei? Don't joke with me!"

"What are you trying to do, taking away the regular spot? Destroying the group from the inside? Whatever you intention is, I'm against you joining this club!" He lashed out.

The commotion died down instantly. Clearly the general response of the members were ambivalent. Logically speaking, the Rikkaidai's Yanagi Renji would have been a great asset to the team, regardless of the team loyalty. That fact would have given Yanagi a slight relief if he could not foresee how that would rapidly change to distain given one match.

"Ryo, afraid of him taking your spot?" Mukahi snickered, voicing the unuttered truth which made Shishido's face turned red.

"That's lame!" The brunette swung his racquet at Yanagi's direction. "I'll show you. We'll play a match. My regular position, your membership."

Yanagi could not even cling to that slight relief. He should have asked for the freshman treatment instead. Now he had to fight a losing match with no room for escape.

"Bye bye, Ryo-kun." Gakuto said in sing-song manner.

"Shut up Gakuto!"

The least Yanagi could do was to try the obviously blocked escape route. "I'll pass."

Shishido took steps towards the taller man. With his hands on his hips, he barked, "You underestimating me or something?!"

"I would rather not have a match today." Yanagi stated a matter of factly. _Not today, not until one month._

Shishido gritted his teeth. "It's today or none. Or are you chickening out against a _mere_ Hyoutei player?" He said self derisively.

To swallow the bitter pill, Yanagi was indeed as what Shishido had described. This chicken was not ready to have his long-established reputation being ripped apart before his eyes. Yanagi turned his head towards Atobe, hoping for an intervention.

"You'll play against Shishido." Was Atobe's ultimatum, much to Yanagi's chagrin.

The coach arrived to the set, putting an end to Yanagi's futile struggle. "You must be the transfer student from Rikkaidai. Show me your worth. Throw him out of his place on the regulars." He instructed coldly.

Yanagi doubted that at his current level he could defeat a freshman, let alone a regular member. Silently he expressed his exasperation at the situation. He was expecting a demotion to freshman and having to train alongside them, practicing his moves until he had regained at least 50% of his skills back. That was exactly how he had wanted things to turn out.

This was how the situation would turn out, with an added humiliation. Life was determined to make Yanagi's final year as miserable as possible.

"I won't hand over my title to you without a fight!" A riled up Shishido exclaimed. He stormed towards the nearest court, ready to demolish his opponent.

Meanwhile Yanagi closed his eyes, trying to ward off the throbbing ache on his right hand. The last time he played a match was as Yanagi Renji of Rikkaidai. It supposed that in order to become Yanagi Renji of Hyoutei, he needed to stop all association with his former glory. This match would definitely serve that purpose in the most painful way possible.

Dragging his feet towards the other side of the court, he muttered as he solemnly placed his racquet on his left hand,

"No, you won't."

* * *

"Is he kicked out of his school?"

"Probably so. That play was a joke."

"We don't need trash in our team!"

Yanagi quietly listened to the harsh comments that the members threw him with after his complete rout against Shishido. On his knees, he was supporting his head with his racquet held with his left hand. His body was almost completely paralyzed by the searing agony screaming in his head. He was alone in the court; Shishido had abandoned the court in disgust while other members resumed their practice.

He was not fatigued- he did not have problem with chasing after the ball. Shishido's play was easy to predict and his balls were not particularly fast. Yanagi, however, could not estimate accurately enough and barely missed hitting the ball. When his racquet finally made contact with the ball, his form was too atrocious that the return hit was a miss. This exasperation coupled with the inevitable sting every time he used his right hand, subconsciously or not, eventually took a toll on his body.

Though his mind was hazy, he could sense someone approaching him. The figure stood in front of Yanagi, casting shadow on his vulnerable state. "Would you rather do the honor of quitting this club or would you prefer me to kick you out?" It was the coach.

Yanagi opened his eyes, trying to focus his gaze on the coach's shoes as an attempt to clear his mind. His hand would not heal by this year, not without professional help that Yanagi would not be seeking. The only way to keep playing tennis was to start anew, and rely on his data to ensure drastic improvements would be made before Nationals.

This match had stripped him nude of all his past glory. He was not the three demons of Rikkaidai. Gone were the days when members venerated him. Here, he was the piece of trash, the traitor. As such, he should no longer cling onto his non existent pride.

He took too much time. The coach turned his heels and started walking away from the loser.

"Please wait." Yanagi called, his voice raspy. The coach stopped.

"I understand…that my performance is not up to par…even with the trainee in the team." Yanagi was shaving struggle breathing. The pain resurfaced, but he fought to push it back. He could deal with his hand later. "The status…of my membership is…yours to decide. However… I ask of you…to let me train with the freshmen."

There, he said it. Unable to withstand the pain any longer, he collapsed onto the ground, his racquet fell with a clatter. Before he completely lost his consciousness, he could vaguely hear the response.

"Does he wish to embarrass himself further?!"

"Let him stay, please."

Yanagi smiled at the unexpected support before he surrendered to the darkness. He did not know that several more students were watching, giving him their silent support.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should this happen for real, would the students' reactions be that hostile? I'm not really sure.  
> Also if you have an idea of what happened to Yanagi, do let me know. Guess it correctly, and you'll get a cheesecake XD


	4. Chapter 4

Kabaji Munehiro was the first person he saw the moment he opened his eyes.

Lying on a bed, Yanagi's eyes scanned the room, taking in as much information as he could about his surroundings. It did not take long for him to recognize his own house, brightly lit by the sun shining through the window beside him. He instantly sat up, wincing at the sharp pain that made his head dizzy.

Stay calm, Yanagi told himself. One would normally jumped to conclusions. Yanagi Renji, however, was a well educated man. As he tried to recall the past events, he started crunching probabilities in his head, doing the one thing that he was most comfortable with. It relaxed him to gain a slightest form of control in this sudden circumstance.

Hyoutei Gakuen Tennis Club. A match with Shishido Ryo with 100% probability of losing.

There was 91% chance Atobe ordered Kabaji to bring him here, 70-30 as to whether Atobe used the key in his bag or had Kabaji broke his door down depending whether Atobe had stepped into his house or not. Yanagi was inwardly thankful that he lived alone.

His head was still heavy with lightheadedness. He was about to use his right hand to support his head but quickly changed to his left before pain had to remind him. He shut his eyes to ease the pain.

Kabaji was sitting next to his bed, his body absolutely still and maintaining a steady gaze at Yanagi. He had his school uniform on. Over his shoulder were two duffel bags that he stubbornly carried, lest they became contaminated should they touch the floor. Yanagi could feel the warmth of the sun that enveloped one side of his face- too warm for morning light. Yanagi concluded there was 100% probability that it was noon on the following day after the match and 98% chance that Atobe had told him to stay.

To not only faint after a supposedly simple match but also missed school on his second day… As a member of disciplinarian committee Sanada would be most displeased. Fortunately, or unfortunately, no such cases.

His skull was still pounding. He might use the day to take a well deserved rest. "You should return to your class." Yanagi requested softly, his eyes still closed.

There was 100% chance the reply would be "Usu", and that was exactly what Kabaji said. He rose from his seat and left the room wordlessly. When Yanagi opened his eyes to ensure his companion had left, his eyes caught sight of a piece of paper left behind on the blanket draped over his lower torso. Yanagi squinted closely to examine it.

It was the application form he had submitted to Oshitari Yuushi the day before.

At least Atobe was tactful in handling this situation, he sighed. After all, what kind of club would accept a senior member that could not even return a single hit properly. With this, he was not dismissed. He never even existed in the club. The minute throbbing in his head suddenly exploded into little shards jabbing themselves to every nook and cranny. Yanagi groaned.

Had it been based on his reputation alone, the chance he would be admitted to the team was 100%. He had also anticipated the worst-case scenario he was undergoing now, and he had hoped his data could prove him wrong for once. He was sorely disappointed.

Entering the tennis club was of utmost importance. The training equipments provided would help him progress by leaps and bounds. Gaining unauthorized access through favors was a doable alternative; Yanagi had sown the seeds, but reaping the fruit would take time that Yanagi had no luxury of.

Yanagi only had 3 months 3 weeks and 3 days for his plan to be executed flawlessly, and he had wasted one confirming his own disability in public. He was now back to square zero, Yanagi shook his head in dismay.

Yanagi was about to crumple the form when he caught sight of its peculiarity. He froze.

Yanagi clearly recalled struggling to fill in the form with his only good hand. Even after numerous attempts, only first graders would call that handwriting beautiful. Yet the form before him was written in very immaculate manner, most definitely the work of someone who had high proficiency in penmanship.

His details were all accurate, Yanagi checked next, except the submission date was in May, on the exact same date one month from now.

A smile formed across his lips, the flower of hope had yet wilted entirely. The pompous captain surprised him once again with his subtle ways in aiding him. He contently set aside the paper inside the drawer of his side desk until its due time in one month. Yanagi made a silent promise to return as much of the favor as he possibly could.

To begin with, Yanagi should not waste anymore time bedridden. Casting his blanket aside, Yanagi placed one foot on the floor. His phone suddenly vibrated.

Yanagi grabbed the phone lying on his side table to check the dialer. As soon as he saw the name he immediately rejected the call.

No. There was no time to think of that. Yanagi would make sure of that. For one, he would be busy making his first uninvited visitation.

* * *

There was an unsightly spectacle spotted in Hyoutei tennis club that same afternoon. It was something that the freshmen could not stop staring at and the seniors could not stop whispering about. Arguably it was disruptive to the practice, for some members stopped whatever they were doing just to take a good look at the object of interest.

Standing outside one of the individual court stood Yanagi Renji. The loser of yesterday's match was repeatedly swinging his racquet, practicing his forehand swing.

Shishido was having a practice match with Gakuto in the stadium when the news of the disturbing being reached his ears. "What is that trash doing here?!" His voice boomed through the area.

"Seems that he wants you to beat him again." Gakuto cheekily replied.

He was ready to storm out of the court and confront said trash. His finger gripped tightly around his racquet.

"If he wants it that badly, I'll give him exactly that!"

Shishido was right at the exit when a haughty voice called out to him. "What do you think you're doing, huh, Shishido?"

Despite being preoccupied in a match with Ootori Choutarou, a regular member, Atobe still could catch sight of the temperamental man walking out of the stadium. To be fair, Shishido was not even trying to be discreet. "Getting rid of the stubborn trash from Rikkaidai." Shishido grumbled in annoyance, but he did not take another step.

"Let him be." The command left no room for argument.

"Why should we?" Shishido lashed out. "The guy doesn't belong to this club. I don't know what kind of trick he's trying to pull, but he's being an eyesore. Let me fight him once again, teach him his place once and for all."

Atobe was no longer sparing Shishido a speck of his attention. Shishido bared his teeth as he hissed. He would not back down without proper explanation.

Oshitari was just entering the stadium when he came across the fuming brunette on his way out. "It's hot enough as it is without you getting worked up." The blunette muttered under his breath. But he had heard the argument, and he had taken his stance. Oshitari stepped in Shishido's disruptive trail.

"You too Oshitari?" Shishido growled.

"Yanagi is not using any of the courts. If he's not embarrassed by whatever he's doing, there's no reason for us to feel ashamed. Since he came to school just for this, at least let him enjoy the public space in peace?" Oshitari offered lazily.

Shishido clicked his tongue. Did he have to beat people up for them to see it?

"Come on Ryo!" Gakuto called out from inside. "Forget about him and let's finish this match! I wanna go home early today!"

Despite his feelings, Shishido had no other choice but to return to his match. He still had his reservations for that Rikkai guy. A player of his reputation suddenly transferring into Hyoutei and was unable to hit a single ball? Something was awfully amiss with this guy and for some reason no one else besides him seemed to care.

Shishido would continue to observe the guy's behavior. Regardless of his past accomplishment, his fight with him proved that the guy's a trash now. Shishido would do anything to prevent that trash from ruining Hyoutei's esteemed tennis club.

A ball smacked Shishido right on his right temple, knocking his train of thoughts off his head. Shishido snapped his head angrily at the culprit.

Gakuto was ready to hit him with another one, his face grinning insolently from ear to ear.

Shishido rubbed his aching temple. Forget that guy. He had another demon to deal at hand now. "YOU ARE SO NOT GOING HOME EARLY!"

* * *

Rikkaidai tennis team regulars frequently visited the hospitalized Yukimura every weekend, each of them carrying their own task. Sanada and Yanagi would give him updates on the team, while the rest would find unique ways to cheer him up. It was something Yukimura always looked forward to, being confined in this bleak cage.

This Sunday, Sanada visited his ill captain on his own. There was no rowdy Akaya or troublemaking Niou to lighten up the mood. Only Sanada, and the bad news that had been burdening him the entire week.

Upon opening the door, he was greeted with the sight of the blunette. Sanada frowned at the display. His captain had been trying his best to fight against his diseases, but it clearly took a toll on him. He looked visibly skinnier, his skin as pale as the bedsheets he was sitting on. Despite all that, Yukimura could still smile as if nothing was going on.

"All alone, Sanada?" The soft, gentle voice asked. Sanada's breath caught a hitch.

No matter how serious the occasion had been in the past, Sanada would still go accompanied. Even during the most dire time it had been Sanada and Yanagi, _never_ alone.

For a moment Sanada grimly hesitated whether to deliver Yukimura the bad news. His captain was dealing with plenty on his plate already. However, it was his responsibility as his vice captain and as his best friend to inform the sick male on the updates outside this room, no matter how unpleasant the news were.

"Yukimura," Sanada began. His face was tight with tension as he clenched his fist. He had to tell this. "Renji's been missing."

Silence fell over the room. Sanada could tell Yukimura was struck by the news as badly as Sanada did one week ago. He had better explained everything clearly before Yukimura jumped to conclusion. "He transferred out of RIkkaidai a week ago. I have yet to pinpoint the exact school. I am planning to visit his house today."

Yukimura was exceptionally silent; it rang a warning bell in Sanada. He was worried that his captain would not be able to digest the news well with what he had to deal with already. Sanada had tried his best to prevent this conversation from taking place. He had called Yanagi multiple times throughout the week, of which none were answered. He would have visited Yanagi's house had he not been so busy managing the team now that he was the sole leadership figure around.

Seconds ticked by. The room fell in complete silence, the air going colder. Sanada stood still by the door, observing Yukimura who kept his head down. When this kind of moments arose, out of the three of them, Yanagi Renji would be the first to detach himself from all forms of emotions and come up with solutions. This time, it was only Yukimura and Sanada.

If anyone knew how cruel life could get, it would be Yukimura. If one can show strength in the face of abject adversity, it would be Yukimura too. Yukimura kept his expression hidden behind his bangs, his hands tightly clutching at his blanket over his lap.

"What have you been doing?"

The reprimand was unforgiving. It did not sound like coming from a boy struck with illness.

"Our goal is third successive victory in the Nationals."

Yukimura's grip tightened, turning his knuckles white. "You only need to concentrate on that…Sanada."

Yukimura's true answer lied in the words unspoken, hanging in the space filled with silence between the two. But none of them could say it out loud, for it was the silver bullet that would crumble their last wall of defense.

"I understand, Yukimura." Sanada forced himself to say.

Victors had no time for weakness. Absolute victory, that was all they need to be concerned of. Once Sanada had left the room, he was the Emperor that would bring his team to its third victory. In order to carry on, all misgivings was to be left in that room. Sanada knew as he closed the door on his way out that he had tremendously burdened his already ill captain.

Sanada could only grimaced in pain as he listened to the silent cries. No, he could not break down. Without Yanagi, Yukimura and Sanada only had each other to depend on. Sanada had to stay strong for the team and for Yukimura. In turn, Sanada entrusted the memories of Yanagi to him.

For the sake of the team, from now onwards, he would forget the existence of Yanagi Renji.

Sanada busied himself for the next few days searching for the replacement regular. On the other hand, one member was determined to confront the truth head on as he stood before Hyoutei Gakuen, his fists clenched.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna cry in the corner for breaking my own OTP TT.TT
> 
> So…you know how an official match requires 7 players. And with Yanagi and Yukimura gone, Rikkai's down to 6. An OC will have to be brought in. Throw in your suggestions of what kind of character the OC should be!


	5. Chapter 5

_Where could he be?_

The question rang repeatedly in Kirihara's head like a broken recording. He had searched through most of the schools in Kanagawa to find nothing, and he would have combed through every single one of the schools around if he could skip class and get away with only a slap.

Actually he would get slapped anyway. On the last practice Kirihara had attended, Sanada-fukubuchou was so very extremely furious that he jumped at the dark haired boy and interrogated him about Yanagi's disappearance. Even without skipping a week's worth of practice, Kirihara was certain his vice-captain would slap him for having done something so horrible to Yanagi, something that he himself could not tell.

Sitting at the back seat of the bus, he closed his eyes and heaved a sigh, ignoring the clamors made by students who were excited to go home. His mind replayed still images of the last time he had seen his senior. Yanagi had taken him to a training camp, just the two of them. The rest were tennis.

The dark haired boy furrowed his eyebrows. Nothing in his memories indicate Kirihara had done something bad. Then again, it was weird how he could not remember how their matches had ended. Did he fall unconscious after every match? Considering his opponent, that was likely the case.

Yet Sanada-fukubuchou seemed so convinced that it was his fault! Worse still, his chest throbbed uncomfortably as if he was guilty. He wasn't, was he?

Kirihara clutched his chest, the discomfort was getting annoying. Screw this. Kirihara laid across the series of cushions on his back. Thinking about this made him super tired. Kirihara put his arms behind his back to serve as his pillow and closed his eyes. He could use some rest before he started another round of searching through schools.

If he was lucky, he would find Yanagi on his next destination.

Suddenly the driver called out to him. "Hey kid! Wake up! This is the last stop!"

"Wha-?" Kirihara jumped up in shock. The rows of seats before him were completely empty. The place was absolutely silent except for the roaring of the engine.

Oh crap, Kirihara cursed, he was supposed to alight halfway! No Hyoutei Gakuen visits for today then, Kirihara sulked as he rushed out of the bus before the driver kicked him out.

Kirihara was surprised to see a school compound before him instead of some barren deserted land. And as luck would have it, a black haired student with tinted glasses was walking towards him with Seigaku tennis uniform. He might as well make use this opportunity, though Kirihara doubted his senior would move all the way to Tokyo.

"Hey you! Wait!"

* * *

School was starting in fifteen minutes. Yanagi wasted no time in approaching Oshitari who had just sat down on his seat.

"Here."

Standing diagonally across Oshitari's table, Yanagi placed on the desk a novel he had borrowed from the library. On the cover was illustrated a couple standing back to back, sheltering from the rain under an umbrella that one was holding up. The title 'Under the Umbrella' was beautifully carved at the bottom.

Oshitari blinked. This man was very eager. He glanced down at the book for a second before looking up towards the taller man. If Oshitari felt anything other than mild curiosity, his face perfectly hid it.

Yanagi might have misunderstood that gesture as one that warranted explanation. "If the previous book is any indication, your preference lies in a romantic tale of two forbidden lovers with a once in a million years first encounter, astounding problems to overcome, and happy ending."

Those who knew Oshitari well would see a slight chuckle in response to the clarification. He couldn't help it, not when his classmate was taking this matter as if his entire life depended on it. He actually wanted to burst into laughter, but that would be tasteless of him.

So Oshitari addressed this no-nonsense guy with a smile. "Look here, data-master."

"The probability of me liking this novel is 100%. The probability of me accepting this, however, is 0%."

Oshitari pushed the novel back towards Yanagi.

"Good try though."

The conversation should have ended there. Yanagi took the book back with him and returned to his seat. Oshitari had thought so until the man unexpectedly returned, carrying a stack of paper in hand.

"There is 100% probability that you would accept this." Yanagi stated as he placed the thick stack of paper on his desk. It contained at least a hundred pages, Oshitari noted in awe as he flipped to the first page. It had Atobe's face on it, along with various charts detailing his playing statistics.

The rest of the pages also consisted of similar looking diagrams detailing the skills of different members, both regular and non-regular. Even the freshmen were included in the list.

"Accuracy is only 70% at the moment due to shortage of time." Yanagi added.

Oshitari raised an eyebrow. He flipped the cover page back. "And _this_ is your bribe?"

"That is not my original intention."

Yanagi kept silent for a moment, deeply contemplating the next few words he was going to say. Oshitari waited.

"This is the only way I can assist the team for the time being." With that, Yanagi left the stack of paper to Oshitari's volition.

Assist the team for the time being, huh.

Yanagi Renji was not a member of the Hyoutei tennis club and therefore held no responsibility towards it. There could only be two reasons behind his action. One was that Yanagi was trying to take the team down from the inside through misleading information. That would work, if the team was too lazy to process the information, which would also mean the team would not be bothered to make use of the information in the first place.

The second and most probable reason was a payback. Yanagi's untimely transfer here had saved him from something, and he was now trying to return the favor. Though Oshitari wondered why he didn't give the papers to Atobe directly. Probably Atobe would say something like 'I do not accept favors' or something like that.

Yanagi already had an established reputation in his data tennis. Though his latest performance was hideous, Oshitari had observed that Yanagi was able to anticipate Shishido's moves, but unable to return them successfully. Assuming the data was as accurate as the creator had claimed, even if it was not 100%, it should provide insightful pointers for everyone's game.

After much deliberation, Oshitari flipped the cover page open again and began scanning the first page: Atobe's details. To be safe, he would do preliminary inspections on the data. Even if the information proved to be inaccurate, it should provide him with enough entertainment to escape the teachers' boring lectures for the day.

And should it passed his inspections, Oshitari might just increase his percentage to five.

* * *

For every single session after the first, one would find Yanagi Renji practicing his forms outside one of the individual tennis courts. He ignored the judging stares the freshmen gave him. He would not respond to any of the bitter remarks made by the seniors. He avoided any 'stray ball' that was aimed at him. Yanagi would continue his training unperturbed.

Lesser students concerned themselves with his presence after a week. If the need for conversation ever arose, such as when the ball went out of fence, they would do so with as minimum words as possible. Yanagi's relationship with the team was one of a stranger, and neither of them minded.

Just when the norm was about to return, something out of the ordinary entered Hyoutei.

It came in the form of a young man with prominent dark green school uniform. Yanagi instantly recognized that dark tousled seaweed hair even from metres apart. He froze in mid swing. The pain that had been pulsating subtly on his wrist suddenly erupted in alarm.

Anyone else would have been better. Even answering calls from Sanada would be preferable.

The less perceptive intruder was still glancing everywhere as if searching for a needle in a haystack. Yanagi wanted to move, to escape from this place. If he started running now he had 83% chance of eluding him entirely. But the ground clutched their invisible arms around his legs and refused to let the coward slip away. He could not move; His head was dizzy from the pain; his heart was beating uncontrollably.

Yanagi shut his eyes. He knew this moment would come eventually. 20% chance it being this soon. 2% chance it would be _him_.

And instantly the time was up. The demon was right before him when Yanagi opened his eyes. His large dark orbs glared at Yanagi's brown ones, scorching with unbridled fury. Yanagi curbed his instinct to flinch as much as he could; only a slight twitch of his right arm.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE…SENPAI." The question was forced out of gritted teeth. The kid was trembling, reasonably on the verge of being completely consumed with rage. The honorific was the last indicator that the kid had not lost it, yet.

He was called the master. He could handle this situation. He could handle _him_.

Yanagi's eyes snapped open, glaring back at Kirihara with his characteristic cold look.

"If you are too blind to see for yourself, Akaya, I moved here."

Yanagi Renji, one of the three demons of Rikkaidai, had returned.

"OF ALL THE PLACES I'VE SEARCHED YOU'RE IN HYOUTEI?!"

This loud conversation had earned them unwanted attention. The inhabitants of the individual courts stopped their game to watch the drama. He also spotted some curious regulars exiting the stadium to take a look at the commotion. Kirihara was too consumed by rage to notice any of that.

Yanagi quickly planned his next approach. He had to settle this quick before officials took notice.

Kirihara fumed even more at the absence of reply. "YOU'RE TELLING ME YOU'RE BETRAYING RIKKAIDAI FOR THIS OVER THE TOP HELL OF A SCH-"

Kirihara was stopped midway by a firm slap on his left cheek. The loud strike elicited gasps from the onlookers who were more shocked than Kirihara himself.

It had hurt.

"As a student and a member of Rikkaidai tennis club, behave yourself in public." Yanagi reprimanded sternly- as much as he could.

His right hand had hurt _badly_.

The pain did its job properly. It kept Yanagi's nerves under control. It also prevented Kirihara from entering his devil mode. Yanagi was not sure he could restrain his junior with his current condition.

Kirihara slowly turned his head back to face Yanagi, recovering from the blow. His left hand went over the abused area to soothe the sting. Seeing the rage in his eyes being replaced with pain and bewilderment, Yanagi was afraid the kid _knew_.

It took Yanagi everything to maintain this facade. Kirihara's next words almost cracked it to pieces.

"After our holiday training, you…disappeared. Sanada-fukubuchou said that training was the last time anyone ever saw you. D-did I do something bad?" The junior's voice was shaking.

Yanagi turned his face away. He could not bear to see such vulnerability in his junior's eyes. He was forced to look back when Kirihara grabbed both of his wrists. Yanagi let out an unsuppressed gasp at the rough treatment, the racquet slipped from his grasp and fell onto the ground. Kirihara noticed nothing.

"Punish me if I do! Do anything you want to me!"

Kirihara was quivering.

"Just come back to Rikkaidai, Yanagi-senpai!"

Slap him. Blame him. Publicly humiliate him. All of those would have been better than what his dearest junior was doing to him.

"Please!"

The agony was excruciatingly beyond what his right wrist was already bringing.

"Akaya," using all his remaining mental strengths to push his overflowing emotions back, Yanagi addressed his junior as calmly as he could. His left hand firmly gripped Kirihara's shoulder.

"No matter what, the fact stays that I have moved to Hyoutei. Do not blame yourself."

Kirihara bit his lower lip, his body still shaking. Yanagi leaned closer to pet his junior's head soothingly. "Seiichi and I won't be around this year. The team needs you more than ever. Remember, Akaya. Absolute victory."

Kirihara was about to interject, but Yanagi did not allow him. He could not let him ask that one question.

"Return to Rikkaidai. You can't afford to miss anymore trainings."

Yanagi could see the guilt in Kirihara's teary eyes. His junior was completely clueless as to what actually had happened, but he felt he was responsible for it and tried to make amends. It was surprisingly sweet. _The best amend you can do is to bring the team to its third championship_.

Kirihara balled his hands to a fist.

"Victory victory victory."

Yanagi's eyes snapped open to meet bloodshot ones. His words had set Kirihara over.

"You have no right to say that."

Kirihara yanked Yanagi's collar and pulled him down to his height.

"Rikkaidai _will_ be facing Hyoutei in the Nationals." The demon-like Kirihara hissed. Yanagi could feel the boy's breath flaring, the flame of hatred dancing madly inside him.

" _You_ will be there." Kirihara jabbed his index finger at Yanagi's sternum with enough force to hurt. "I will _personally_ defeat you. I will make you _regret_ leaving Rikkaidai in the first place. "

This…was more of what Yanagi had expected, ironically. Yanagi raised his right hand, ready to strike his junior out of this trance. The demon grabbed Yanagi's wrist, stopping his swing midway. He ruthlessly tightened his fist around it.

Unbearable agony bursted through Yanagi's system akin his wrist being crushed. His knees collapsed under the excruciating pain; Kirihara refused to let go. Laughing like a lunatic in delight, he put even more strain to the captive wrist, drawing out pained gasps.

"YOU THINK YOU STILL HAVE POWER OVER ME?!" Kirihara howled. He cackled at the sight of his superior, looking all frail and vulnerable below him. This was just the beginning.

"YOU BETRAYED US." Yanagi lurched at the immense pressure added. His nerves were blazing. If this went on, no amount of therapy could fix his wrist.

This would not have happened if he was not such a coward.

_He deserved it._

Kirihara was beyond ecstatic to deliver the final blow. "YOU DON'T EVEN NEED THIS ANY-"

"Stop this nonsense." Someone had interrupted.

"YOU'RE IN THE WAY- ARGH!"

Yanagi had gone so numb he did not notice his wrist being freed from the devil's clutch. His mind did not even register seeing his oppressor collapsing onto the ground and being taken by someone else.

"Bring this troublemaker back to Rikkaidai, Kabaji."

"Usu."

Time seemed to have stood still for Yanagi. All he could feel was pain, nothing else.

"How long are you going to stay down there?"

The question jolted Yanagi out of his state. With eyes squinted in pain, Yanagi looked up to his savior. He should have recognized the arrogant tone anywhere. "Atobe…Keigo"

What was he doing? He was letting pain took him away from the cruelness of the reality. He tried to justify this by pretending it was the right thing to do. He was running away again.

"What will do you next?" Atobe was looking down on him.

Yanagi could let pain swallow him into blissful darkness again, giving him the respite he desperately sought. His aching head was screaming at him to get away, to let Atobe or anyone handle the rest of the day.

Instead, with all the strength he could gather despite his fried nerves, Yanagi placed his hand over his racquet lying on the ground and used that to slowly pushed himself up to a standing position.

Atobe kept his hand crossed, his eyes following every single movement Yanagi made. He did not lift a finger.

Yanagi panted softly upon standing on his own two feet. He was swaying, his wrist still felt crushed by a phantom grip.

Atobe Keigo was scrutinizing him. Kabaji Munehiro and Kirihara were nowhere to be seen. Students- both regulars and non-regulars- had their eyes on him. Their expression ranged from sympathy to dull interest. Yanagi closed his eyes, the option to escape was calling out to him, hammering his head. He could collapse to the ground and let his tomorrow self deal with this.

No. No more running away. His goal was to get his forehand swing from 68% to 70% today. And he would achieve that, even if his body could not stand straight, even if his right arm felt completely numb, even if he felt like he had just run around the school a hundred times.

_"Rikkaidai will be facing Hyoutei in the Nationals"_

Yanagi had to be there. For that, he could not waste anymore time.

However, Yanagi knew deep inside that there was one question unanswered, one question that he had run away from. When the time came, when Yanagi stood on the opposite court facing Kirihara,

_"What will you do next?"_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the spirit of understanding the character, I ended up having a bruise on my wrist. Dedication yo XD


	6. Chapter 6

Yesterday's event was taking its toll on Yanagi. On top of the pounding headache he woke up with, he caught sight of an unpleasant marking on his body. A very striking purple blemish covered about half of his right wrist, one that surely would attract unwanted concerns.

He walked to his wardrobe and pulled the bottom drawers open. When Yanagi packed his belongings to bring here, he had deliberated again and again whether to bring along any reminders of the school he was so proud of. The jersey, the medal, the photos…all of them contained memories that he would cherish forever regardless of the current situation, even if they reminded him of what could have been, what he would never have.

In the end, all he took was an pair of unused wristbands. He had received them on his birthday last year.

"No matter how much you can analyze, your physique will still determine the outcome of the match." Yukimura had said on that day. "You are blessed with a healthy one. Take good care of it."

Yanagi had not understood the intention behind the gift back then. His playing style did not put excessive strain on his wrists, and so far he could handle players that aimed their shots to injure him. The confusion must have shown on his face for Yukimura had added with a chuckle, "You may not need it, but it never hurts to take precautions."

A small smile formed on Yanagi's lips. If only Yukimura could foresee his own disease as much as he had somehow foreseen Yanagi's current situation. He quietly ripped the wrapping off. Taking a good look at the article to ensure their quality, he slipped them down on his wrists. The blemish were perfectly hidden behind, but the damage on his wrist had worsened, and there was nothing the wristbands could do to help. Given another similar encounter, the damage might become permanent.

Yanagi closed the drawer, ending his musing with a loud thud. He should be going to school. Standing up, Yanagi gave his room another look to ascertain he had not forgotten anything. He spotted his cellphone that was lying alone on his sparse study desk. He was about to pick it up when he stopped midway.

His parents would only contact him on weekends. No one in Hyoutei had the need to contact him.

Sanada had stopped calling him. No one else in Rikkaidai had tried to contact him.

Withdrawing his hand, Yanagi left the phone where it was and exited the room.

* * *

The regular members of Hyoutei tennis club were gathered for a meeting in the lavishly decorated air conditioned club room before practice. Light was permeating the room from the large window behind where Atobe was seated. The captain, Atobe, was sitting on a very comfortable looking chair behind a long table draped over with red cloth with Kabaji standing beside him. The rest of the members were seated on velvet colored couch ; Shishido, Mukahi, Oshitari on the couch to Atobe's right, Ootori and Hiyoshi across with Akutagawa napping at the arm rest. In between them was a low table with tea served for each person, including for the sleeping one.

Since Atobe had yet to start the meeting, Mukahi decided to engage in some gossiping. "What's with the ruckus yesterday?"

"I heard the word 'betrayal'" Ootori added hesitantly.

Shishido shrugged and shifted on his seat, his hands supporting his head. "It just shows the guy's no good. Why is he still around?" Shishido drawled at Atobe. Instead of answering, Atobe leaned back on his chair as he observed the regulars, legs crossed.

"But it seems that Yanagi-san's on bad terms with Rikkaidai." Ootori tried to counter. "So he is betraying Rikkaidai for Hyoutei?" Even to his own ears the theory sounded ridiculous. Shishido made sure the entire room feel the same way by snorting loudly.

"Ootori, no one's that stupid. Their team win nationals twice. We don't."

"But then-!"

"Speaking of which, Yanagi seems to be hurt pretty badly." Oshitari interjected before Ootori could retort. The blunette sipped his tea and asked, throwing a glance at Atobe. "Should he even be playing tennis?"

"He shouldn't!." Shishido scoffed. He grabbed the tea from the table and gulped it down. "Even before he's injured he can't play properly. At least now he has an excuse to quit."

"Shishido-san!"

"It's true." Hiyoshi supported Shishido much to Ootori's annoyance. "The weak should not be in the team."

Oshitari decided to add more colors to the debate. "Since we're talking about him, I might as well show you something interesting." He opened his bag and took out a stack of paper.

Atobe sat quietly observing the reactions of the members. All of them were speechless as they scanned their details on the paper, but Atobe's insights could penetrate the silence, their emotion ranging from a scream of 'This is a breach of privacy!' to one that was honestly impressed.

Oshitari had told Atobe beforehand regarding the data sheets Yanagi had passed to him and he had deemed them worthy enough to be utilized. As the members tried to absorb the information, Atobe pondered about the man behind the papers; A man so logical he got caught in the most illogical of situation that Atobe thought only happened in soap operas. Atobe had agreed to be the director in this movie when he could have prevented it from starting. He could end roll with a snap of his finger and spare him the pain, yet he did not.

_'What will you do next?'_

Alas, Atobe had to admit that it excited him to watch Yanagi dance to this absurd tune, to untangle himself from the mess he had _pleaded_ to dive into.

That being said, Atobe prided himself in his leadership, which meant no personal indulgences could interfere with the wellbeing of his subjects. Yanagi had one month to prove his worth to become one of his subjects before Atobe would discard him completely. He had more urgent matters to attend to. For example,

"Now that you have ogled over the statistics for long enough, let's talk business. About the upcoming district prelims…"

* * *

"You want _me_ to help your training?" Ootori reiterated in astonishment.

Right after the practice hours had ended, Yanagi approached Ootori who had been rehearsing his serves in one of the individual courts. Ootori was one of the very few people that stayed in school until the orange sky was replaced with darkness. Wiping the glistening sweat off his forehead using the towel slung over his neck, Ootori spoke again, still in disbelief. "Did you just say that?"

"Yes." Yanagi affirmed. "I understand you have your concerns: firstly, this would take up your academic or resting time at home; secondly, it would pose problems to have you be associated with me; and lastly-"

"No, I'm just worried that I won't be of much help." Ootori interjected. He felt really guilty for refusing his senior, especially since the papers from Yanagi was very enlightening in Ootori's opinion.

Seeing Yanagi silent caused Ootori to worry that he had accidentally insulted his senior, so he quickly added. "I mean I'm not sure I can help you. I saw your match with Shishido-san, and I don't think I understand why you could not hit back. You might want to talk to Atobe-san instead? He has very good observation skills."

Ootori truly could not understand what was going on with Yanagi. Even though Ootori had yet to see Yanagi play in person, he knew that Yanagi was one of the top players in Rikkaidai. The data sheets proved that Yanagi had very vast knowledge on tennis that was way beyond Ootori's. Yet Ootori could not think of a reason why Yanagi had performed very poorly against Shishido.

Yanagi kept quiet for a moment as if considering his words. Then he smiled. "I really appreciate your words." It was the first time Ootori had seen this man smile so radiantly. "I would be very content with you as my training partner."

Ootori was still not fully convinced. But he had no willpower to refuse anymore. "If you think I would be useful, then-"

"What's this? Spying on us again?" A loud voice interrupted.

Both heads turned towards the source. "Shishido-san?" Ootori greeted the incomer with a questioning look.

"I am requesting Ootori here to help me with my training." Yanagi clarified.

Shishido squinted his eyes. "Right. You just have to ask that one member that can't say no." Shishido said. Ootori slightly blushed at the statement. It's not like he always said yes to everything!

Shishido stood face to face with Yanagi, tilting his head up to make up for the height difference.

"Tell you what. Since you've given us data on the Hyoutei members, why don't you give us data on Rikkaidai members?" Shishido challenged.

"Shishido-san!" Ootori cried in protest. No one heard him.

"You can't, can you?" Shishido smirked in victory.

Ootori looked back and forth between the two. He was extremely worried of what would happen next. He wanted to stop them, to say something to defend Yanagi-san, but he could not form a good enough argument. Ootori did not even know whether the man he wanted to defend was loyal to the team or not. But Ootori's guts were telling him that Yanagi had no ill intention. He might be naive, but Ootori believed he could tell a good person from a bad one.

"I can." Yanagi answered, his voice was very confident. Both Ootori and Shishido gave him a confused look. "Before you scoff at my answer, let me explain in detail. I can give you data on Rikkaidai player with 100% accuracy."

"As data tennis players we analyze our opponents and use the data to our advantage in matches. From our last match, clearly you are not a data tennis player. And yet here you are, blatantly asking for your enemy's weakness."

Yanagi looked down on Shishido, taunting him. "If you have that little confidence in your ability, I, Yanagi Renji, will gladly hand that data over to you."

Ootori gasped. Yanagi's comeback was an insult delivered in a very formal manner. Shishido seemed to be at a loss of word for he only stood there, channeling all his outrage through his stare. Yanagi did not move either. The air around them was as tense as a tightrope which none were letting go.

They might be here until midnight if this went on. Ootori decided to end the stalemate. "Shishido-san." The said man flicked his gaze at him, and Ootori took that as a permission to continue.

"I don't mind helping Yanagi-san. I don't think you should worry about him spying on us." Ootori gave a weak smile. He actually had no logical reason to back his words. He simply _believed_ so.

"Tch!" To Ootori's surprise, Shishido listened to him. "This is lame."

Shishido folded his arm across, still staring at Yanagi, but his rage had subsided. "I don't get you. You were a monster player and suddenly you can't even return a single hit. You were in Rikkaidai, a freaking top school and just like that you came here and 'betray' them. The heck's going on with you?"

Yanagi's answer came quickly. "That is none of your concern."

Before Shishido could say another word, Yanagi preemptively said, "Your concern lies in my ability to contribute to Hyoutei tennis team and my loyalty, none of which you have reasons to worry about for I have yet to become a member of the team."

Ootori did not catch the implication of Yanagi's words. Instead, he was busy worrying that Yanagi's edgy answer might provoke the temperamental Shishido into another argument. Thankfully Shishido seemed to ran out of things to complain to Yanagi and stormed out of the place.

By then the sun had almost completely disappeared. The artificial light towering above the court flashed brightly, illuminating the two people left. Ootori turned towards Yanagi, unsure of what to say.

"If it is alright with you, shall we have our first session today?" Yanagi asked.

Ootori considered it for a moment. District preliminaries was coming up and Ootori was one of the few regulars that would be playing. He supposed he could spend some extra time for training. He did not want to refuse his senior's request too. "Sure." Ootori answered.

For practice, Yanagi asked him to send his serves at several precise spot. Ootori was glad to see that Yanagi was able to return some of his shots, though Ootori was not giving his all to his shots.

The session somehow became a learning session for him. Yanagi had given him advices on how to maximize the power transferred to his serves. The data sheet he had read earlier mentioned Ootori's possible problem from overstraining his muscles, but there was no detail on how to avert it.

"You are already holding back your hit by 70%. Assuming you are operating at 100%, the way you flex your wrist reduced your power by 20%. Try flexing it 45 degree, about this much. " Yanagi had instructed him in the middle of the practice.

By the end of the session, Ootori had marginally improved his serve. He would be very content if he was not worried about how much of a help he had been. Apparently it showed in his face for Yanagi assured him as they walked out of school.

"The session had helped me tremendously." Yanagi said. Ootori gave a polite nod, but inwardly he was not convinced. The entire session had been Yanagi instructing him on the way and direction he should execute his serves.

Yanagi added, "If you have any remarks on my performance, do feel free to share."

"Me?" Ootori gave Yanagi a questioning look. What could he add to someone that already had so much knowledge? Ootori searched every nook and cranny of his memory trying to find something he could comment on, but he found nothing. Yanagi's play was substandard to be completely honest.

So Ootori talked about the one thing that had been nagging on him. "I think you should focus less on improving my serves. It's your training after all."

He did not expect to see Yanagi chuckle. It was soft and very brief. "You put too much trust in me." He said, short and sweet.

Ootori might not know why Yanagi transferred to Hyoutei (he highly doubted it was because of scholarship) or why he suddenly could not play tennis. But Ootori felt that the person beside him was under a lot of stress. When Ootori had made him smile, it was the smile of someone that had not done so in a long time.

For all he knew, he might be helping a traitor, just like what Shishido had warned about.

Ootori pushed that thought to the back of head. If that were to be the case, then Ootori would take full responsibility of it.

"I don't mind." Ootori answered with a confident smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man finally some fluff XD
> 
> I might need to take a longer break for the next chapter. This is the first time I have to deal with such a long story and it becomes a bit too convoluted for my tiny brain to handle XD.
> 
> That being said I have other projects in progress so I am not going on a hiatus.
> 
> I hope this chapter is as good as the rest.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This super long chapter is pretty much introducing an OC, because Rikkaidai needs someone to fill in Yanagi's empty spot.  
> In case description here is not clear, I drew a pic of the OC and made an insta account for him (because how else can I upload photo online?)  
> I'll put the account name at the end of the story. Enjoy?

Rikkaidai might be a prestigious school, and its tennis club might be ravenous for victory, but Hachisuka Aki was anything but. That was not to say Hachisuka was…inadequate. To him, Rikkaidai junior high school admission was not as difficult as figuring out life's secret, neither was entering the tennis club. Though he found on his first year that becoming a regular was not as simple.

He had seen what needed to be sacrificed to become one. He saw people running around like a madman, only to faint or bleed. Hachisuka did not want his silky slightly over shoulder-length brown hair to be anywhere near the dirty ground, to have his countenance contorted in frustration, and definitely not being drenched in sweat. Only he knew how much time he had to spend everyday just to keep that strand of hair perfectly styled over his right eye, let alone the entire hair. He could not have his meticulously styled image jeopardized for something he did not even have passion in.

Hachisuka was actually a novice in tennis, having only been acquainted with the racquet in his first year of junior high school. The only reason he chose tennis was because of the positive reputation that came with it. Thankfully the athletic built he had worked on for years allowed him to pick up the sport in very short time. Though being a regular would greatly contribute to his image, he was content with just being a member as long as the scale remained in the positive range.

He somehow made it into the reserves in his second year. Hachisuka did not mind for he never had to actually substitute any of the regulars. His job was to play demonstrative matches to reporters, since on top of his well-maintained looks, Hachisuka also put a lot of effort in tailoring his movements to appear exceptionally photogenic in every single match he played for. He would finish his match sparkling, literally, with a shy but confident smile on his face just perfect for the camera to catch.

He was 'cool' as many people had called him. Pretentious, but cool.

And that was how Hachisuka had spent his club session for the first two years, and he was not planning on making an exception in his last. Unfortunately, one regular spot was unexpectedly empty this year, and the vice-captain was intent on using the District Preliminaries as _the reserves_ preliminaries, which meant that Hachisuka had to actually play in an official match for the first time.

Currently he was standing outside the court fences along with the four other reserves who would be playing in today's District Prelim Semifinal. He had his perpetually curious expression plastered on as he stared at the ongoing Doubles 2, his mind actually wondered around. Hachisuka was busy deliberating whether he should just make a run for it. The 'win or slap' vice captain Sanada Genichirou who was sitting on the coach's bench had assigned himself as the reserve member. Hachisuka did not feel like putting effort for a regular spot he did not want, definitely not with the sun scorching too brightly for him to keep his sweating to a minimum. If he was gone, he did not have to play, and they would still win since it's vice-captain and he would slap everyone else before he lost. It was a win-win move.

So Hachisuka feigned a stomach ache and excused himself to the toilet. However his sharp eyes caught a figure across him who moved at the exact same time. Holy crap he was targeted! Was it because of his looks? Was it because of his position in Rikkaidai? Or perhaps he had been chosen to participate in some cool awesome secret organization?

Haha nope. It's probably sabotage, Hachisuka's logical mind spoke up. He had heard people whispering about players being injured before game. Sports politics because middle school tennis was serious business. Then again, Hachisuka's family was relatively wealthy. That could be another reason.

Well, too bad. Hachisuka might not be well acquainted with martial arts, but those gym days were not only for show. He paused right before the toilet door and swiftly turned to greet the stalker with a powerful fist to the face. In a flash he could put a name to the person stalking him and he halted his punch in the nick of time, with only an inch to spare before bones were broken.

"Yanagi?!" Hachisuka exclaimed out loud, his naturally high voice became higher with surprise.

With his fist still hovering dangerously close to the other's face, Hachisuka scrutinized him. The man was wearing casual clothes, which consisted of moss green long sleeve shirt with dark beige pants. On top of that he was wearing a beige overcoat and had a scarlet scarf wrapped around his neck and over his mouth. He also wore a navy blue cap which cast shadow over his perpetually closed eyes, supposedly obscuring his identity further.

Hachisuka wondered how he could recognize this man. Then he wondered whether the man was a spy running away from the international mafia syndicate. He wished. So he settled with the explanation that it was actually winter already and somehow only areas he went to were not snowing and-

A clap. Hachisuka snapped back into attention, looking at the clapped hands in front of him. "Attention here, Hachisuka Aki." The taller man instructed. Hachisuka complied and withdrew his fist. Yanagi took his hands back as well.

As usual, Yanagi was quick to the point. "I know you are evading the upcoming match."

Hachisuka hurriedly gave a pained expression and clutched his stomach. It was a second too late to be convincing, made worse with the half-cooked acting. To be fair, looking good and wincing in pain did not go together. "I have stomach ache and-"

"Let's cut to the chase." Yanagi sharply dismissed, pulling his scarf down. Hachisuka maintained the horrendous act, in case Yanagi decided to change his mind within the next few seconds. Yanagi stood still with his absurd layers of clothing. Hachisuka decided it was not worth it, so he let go and had his usual curious expression in place. Hachisuka just wanted to make a run to the toilet.

Unfortunately that option ceased to be one when Yanagi pulled him away upon sensing someone walking towards them. Now they were hiding under the shadow casted by the toilet building.

"I intend to bring you back to the game and have you play with your full strength."

Both of Hachisuka's eyebrows were raised and his mouth was wide open. "Tell me you're joking." Hachisuka said in disbelief.

"I think you know the answer already." Yanagi replied curtly.

No no no no no. Hachisuka had given up on excelling _anything_. He was to never do anything with his full strength, or he would cease to have a weakness and people would start…looking at him with those eyes again. Those cold eyes burning with envy, swearing revenge-

"Hachisuka?" The shorter boy felt two hands on his shoulder, shaking him awake from his reverie. Right, he had to deal with this senior that had appeared out of nowhere. Pushing the gloomy thoughts to the back of his head, he focused to think about the situation logically. Why would Yanagi, whom he heard had dropped out, want him to be in the regulars?

Hachisuka came to a conclusion. "You want me to clean your mess?"

"To put it crudely, yes."

"Sorry. I decline." Hachisuka was about to walk away when Yanagi grabbed his left arm. He could have wrestled himself free with zero effort, and he was going to do that if not for what Yanagi told him next.

"Two years, two weeks and three days, yet you are still afraid."

Hachisuka snapped his head back at the statement. His dark orbs glared at Yanagi's closed ones, daring him to continue; The hand clasped around his wrist forgotten.

Yanagi did. "A tiger that is hiding its claw and trying to become a cat."

"I think I've become a pretty good cat." Hachisuka retorted. If all his claws brought was solitary, then he would rather get rid of them. "I'm fine with it. Sorry, but you have to find someone else. Try Saito Jin, he should be a more fitting candidate than I am."

As if Hachisuka would sacrifice years of hard work just for a teammate that he only knew by name. He freed his hand from Yanagi's wrist with ease, only to have it recaptured again.

"Has the thought ever occurred to you that you can concurrently show your claw and maintain your popularity?"

Hachisuka yanked his wrist away from Yanagi's, this time keeping it close to his chest. "Yes, and you can't. How much of a fool do you take me for?" Hachisuka was beginning to lose his temper.

Instead of answering, Yanagi asked something else that caught Hachisuka's attention. "How about a hero?"

"Hero?" He asked, more towards himself. A gallant presence that saved others in distress. Now as he thought about it, heroes in the movies were always exalted and praised and flocked around by other people, and they did not have weakness. Hachisuka tried really hard not to grin like a fool as the image went through his mind with him at the centre of the attention.

"But," Hachisuka asked once he had returned from his imagination. "How?"

"By defeating me." Yanagi pointed to himself. "Become a regular yourself, and defeat me in an official match."

Hachisuka did not even know which school was Yanagi in now. And how could winning make Hachisuka a hero?

"Rikkaidai aims for third consecutive victory. However, with Sei- the captain falling ill, it is going to be a struggle ." Yanagi explained before Hachisuka could even ask. "The team is at a pinch, and I have chosen to abandon the sinking ship and leave for another school. I _betrayed_ Rikkaidai."

Hachisuka understood where Yanagi was going. If he defeated Yanagi, say in the nationals finals, he would be the hero that bring victory to the team, the one that saved the team after the crisis Yanagi's departure had caused. He could understand the logic, though there were many questions running through his mind, such as whether their teams would face each other and which was Yanagi's current school. He also wondered how the taller man could proudly call himself a traitor.

Back then, Hachisuka had been the top student in his school, and he would bring the school achievements after achievements. Yet he was not called a hero. Instead he was called 'Suck up', 'Show off' or 'Braggart'. This hero plan could only work when he fought against the traitor. But to be able to face him, Hachisuka had to prove his worth by winning matches to get into regular position. And by doing this he would be trapped in the same circumstances as last time, where those he defeated would…would...

"I believe a demonstration would be more convincing." Yanagi said, as if he had read Hachisuka's mind. "Go and take your racquet. You should have half an hour left to spare."

Hachisuka absentmindedly followed Yanagi's instructions. As he ran, he thought over Yanagi's preposition again.

_'You look so cool!'_

_'You're so buff I'm jealous of you.'_

_'How could you play tennis and look so damn gorgeous?'_

The worst Hachisuka had heard in these few years was ' _The guy's all muscles and looks, no brain_ '. Those were fine.

_'Perhaps if you don't study all the time you won't look so ugly.'_

_'Stupid people like us will scream. But you're different. You can do everything right? Then surely you can keep silent, right?'_

Hachisuka rubbed his right arm frantically as he tried to rid the feeling haunting him, in the process getting some powder on his palm. Hidden behind the thick make up was several burn scars he got when his _friends_ had _played_ with him. ' _That's what you got for being smarty pants'_. If he gave his all in tennis, what would his _friends_ do? Hit him with racquet? Aim their shots at him? Trip him as he was runni- Hachisuka fell face first to the ground.

He saw a helping hand extended towards him, one that was clad in beige sleeve. Yanagi? He gradually realized that he had taken his racquet with him and was on his way back. Hachisuka took the help offered, not caring if some of his scars were visible. He still had more than that.

"Ready?" Yanagi asked once Hachisuka was firmly back on his two feet. Hachisuka nodded. He'd give 20% more than usual. Definitely insufficient to make regulars, but perhaps he could try?

Yanagi took him to an outdoor court only several meters away from the school where the prelim was hosted at. Hachisuka took one side of the court, Yanagi took another. Yanagi had neatly discarded

his scarf, his coat and his cap aside, only keeping his long sleeve shirt and his beige pants on. Hachisuka did not even notice Yanagi had brought his racquet along. He probably had it hidden under those layers of clothing.

"I will be playing with my non-dominant hand." Yanagi announced, swinging his racquet as to drive the point.

"You're not left handed?" Hachisuka questioned. "You've been using that hand all this time though." Hachisuka had never paid attention to which hand Yanagi used during matches, but he knew what the third strongest member in Rikkaidai was capable of.

"You shall see it for yourself." Yanagi said. "I will be giving my 100%. You can play as you normally do. Whenever you are ready."

Hachisuka wanted to voice his concerns. He had no idea why he was playing a game against Yanagi, but he realized that Yanagi might forget about the ongoing prelims semifinal and played all the way, giving Hachisuka a free pass from playing his first official match. So he decided to keep his mouth shut.

Hachisuka threw the ball in the air and hit a perfect serve. Yanagi intended to return it with a flat shot, but the angle of his racquet was slightly off and it gave Hachisuka the perfect chance for a smash. 15-0

Yanagi was definitely not left handed, Hachisuka concluded. That was not a deliberate miss.

Yanagi managed to return his next serve. They engaged in a rally for a while until Hachisuka decided to end it with a drop shot. Yanagi was able to intercept it halfway, but again the angle he hold his racquet was off. The ball hit the net. 30-0

Hachisuka attempted to score an ace on his next serve, but Yanagi managed to return it with a back hand. It was lacking in power and ended up as a volley. Hachisuka dashed to the net and hit a moon volley. The ball dipped and landed on the baseline. 45-0.

Hachisuka was not even going at 50%. Since this was just a street match, he did not even put in effort to make his movements look impeccable. He played the way he usually did: use as many good looking moves as possible regardless of the situation.

"From here onwards, I will score." Yanagi declared. Hachisuka raised an eyebrow. Hachisuka was not that bad so as to let a 'newbie' score against him.

This time, Yanagi was returning all his shots. He let every single shot bounce before he returned them. Hachisuka got into position for another moon volley, but Yanagi had anticipated it and hit a drop shot. 45-15.

Okay. So Yanagi scored on luck. It should not happen again. To his surprise, Yanagi tricked him into believing that he was going to do another drop shot and pulled a lob on him. 45-30.

Yanagi was a data master and it clearly showed, even if he was playing with his left hand. In the first three matches he had moved that suggested to Hachisuka he would attempt a lot of net shots since he could not aim as accurately and had less power. Yanagi swept the last two points off his feet by completely destroying that perception. In a blink of an eye, it was 1-0 in Yanagi's favor.

Perhaps he should raise his game to 70%. He could not let Yanagi defeat him with his non-dominant hand. He waited for Yanagi to serve, but it never came. "That was as long as I can hold my 100%." Yanagi announced, and Hachisuka had to agree. Even though Hachisuka was the one losing, he had barely broken any sweat. Yanagi meanwhile looked like he had just finished his laps, and with the amount of laps they were made to run everyday it meant that Yanagi was seriously fatigued.

"Kay." Hachisuka dropped his form. "So what's the point of this again?"

"Just now, if there are spectators here, who do you think they would cheer for?" Yanagi asked. Hachisuka let his mind wondered. He was a non regular that had lost the first point because he was playing around. His opponent was a traitor that was mocking him by playing with his non-dominant hand.

_'Stop playing around Hachisuka!'_

_'Play seriously!'_

_'Crush that traitor!'_

If Hachisuka gave his all and managed to defeat Yanagi fair and square, then…

"Let's continue." Hachisuka, now riled up, bent his knees and got back into his form. Yanagi, however, ignored him and went to pick his pile of clothes up.

"Save it for an official match." Yanagi said dismissively.

"When can we play? I don't even know your school." Hachisuka asked.

Yanagi was silent for a moment. "We will either meet in regionals or nationals. That's how strong my school is."

"Until then, go take the regular spot and polish your sword. When the time comes, fight me with your full strength, hero."

Hachisuka watched quietly as Yanagi walked away. No, he was not a hero yet. Yanagi was taunting him. He wanted to settle the match now and showed him, but it would be meaningless.

Take the regular spot…Oh crap he had semifinals to play for!

He ran with all his might back to the school. He had not noticed the grey clouds stretching over the sky. Normally Hachisuka would be thrilled since the humidity would prevent him from sweating too much, but now he was hoping for it not to rain. The flame inside him would not be able to withstand his match being postponed.

He barely made it in time as the Doubles 1 had just ended with a score of 6-1 to Rikkaidai's favor. Hachisuka casually entered the court, taking a glance at his audience. The vice captain was looking stern as ever. The rest of the players clearly had no faith in him. He even heard someone saying _'The model's hopeless. It's down to singles 2.'_

Hachisuka could imagine what would happen if he lost this match. The vice captain would give him a displeased look and a slap. His fellow regulars would give him superficial comforting words such as ' _Hey, at least you look cool_ ' or ' _Going down gracefully huh_ '. Then everything would return back to normal. Hachisuka would be back playing in style as if that conversation with Yanagi never happened. He would never have the chance to become a hero. He had to hide his claws and kept looking good forever.

Hachisuka decided to give it a try. For now, he decided to discard his tendency to use flashy moves. He was playing at 70%.

The opponent scored four times in a row. 1-0 to the opponent's favor. What luck that he was the one facing the strongest player from the opponent team. His opponent, a very muscly guy, was smirking at him as if he had won. His team was already celebrating, boasting loudly about him being the strongest player that could never lose.

If Hachisuka won this game, it would be Rikkaidai's victory. Did it count as being a hero? The vice captain _might_ stop frowning for one second, which was equivalent to a smile. His fellow reserves would hate him for not allowing them their chance to play, or they might praise him for playing tennis seriously for once.

Hachisuka decided to take the chance.

His opponent was walking towards him to change court, but Hachisuka was still standing on his spot. He scanned around the audiences, ignoring the shouts that told him to move. He found it, a girl with her hair tied in a high ponytail. Hachisuka finally moved, but instead to the opposite court, he walked out of the court.

"What are you doing?" He could hear the vice captain yelling at him. Hachisuka continued walking towards the girl, who was becoming flustered as she realized she was being in the center of attention. He stopped a respectable distance from the girl, taking a deep breath to get into that persona that many people liked from him.

"Young lady, you are blessed with a very beautiful face. I am certain your hair would accentuate your beauty even more." Hachisuka spoke in the lowest tone he could muster. "Would you kindly let your hair down? I will keep your hair tie safe." He extended his hand, palm up.

The girl was too flustered from the unexpected praise to comprehend Hachisuka's words. She quickly undo her hair and placed the black rubber band on his hand. "Thank you, oh fair lady." Hachisuka said and left the blushing girl alone.

All eyes were on him as he made his way back. Hachisuka gathered his brown locks and looped the band around them once, then halfway for the second one such that he had a half-bun hair. He twisted the leftover hair such that they were pointing upwards. That way, the only hair that was touching his skin was the one over his right eye. He had let his hair down for so long he could not remember when was the last time he supported this 'Pineapple style'.

When Hachisuka wanted to get serious, he did not like having his hair around his skin. Now he was going all out, 98%.

"From here onwards, I will not let you score." Hachisuka declared, a return statement to the figure he had just played against.

It ended 4-1. His opponent was lying on the ground unconscious. Hachisuka won by default.

Hachisuka was completely drenched in sweat and he had a migraine. Holding his head in his hand, he glanced to his team. His vice captain still looked stern, but he was clearly astonished. His teammates were equally shocked. Hachisuka groaned. If experience taught him well, after the shock came the contempt and the hurtful words and the pain.

He tried to walk out of the court as fast as he could. "Hachisuka!" The vice captain roared, stopping him in his tracks. Hachisuka did not even bother to look at him. He wanted to get out of the place fast and his head was killing him.

"You did well."

That caused Hachisuka to look up. The vice captain was…smiling? And his teammates ran inside to surround him, one nudging him on the arm and one had his hand over Hachisuka's shoulder.

"Our model went wild!" One told him.

"You never play like that before. That's awesome man!" Another said.

"That guy's twice your size. How on earth did you outrun him?"

Was this what a hero felt like? Hachisuka could not discern it with the ringing noise threatening to explode in his head. But no one was mocking him and he was not in pain except for his head. And the vice captain said _he had done well_.

With his hand still supporting his head, he glared at the members before him with a smirk. "Oh, this is only the beginning."

"I'm not joining this elimination match you set to find the traitor's replacement anymore." Hachisuka declared, earning him surprised gasps. "I'm taking that regular spot. Anyone that has problem with it can fight me, one on one."

With that, it was goodbye picture perfect Hachisuka and hello Hachisuka that would defeat the traitor Yanagi, the Pineapple Hero.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random note: I've always been so bad at remembering names, I can't even remember my own OC's name. For some reason I always thought his name started with a T. I'll be wondering "Who's the guy's name? Tachi? Tachisuke?" XD
> 
> Speaking of names, I tried to make his name as meaningful as possible. The fact that he was not a replacement, the fact that he filled up the gap and brought the number of regulars back to 8 (counting Yukimura), the fact that he is in a way related to a lotus (of all things I never make reference to pineapple in his name. oh well XD). Can you find them?  
> This is the kanji to his name 蜂須賀 新
> 
> I am done butchering Japanese. Do tell me if I make a mistake somewhere along the line.
> 
> So…what do you think? *hides in the corner*
> 
> Aaand the account, if you're interested: https://www.instagram.com/takophin/  
> (warning: be prepared for super mediocre pencil drawn character)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Early update! Yay long weekend!  
> I'm sort of experimenting with the paragraphing. Hopefully it doesn't confuse things.  
> Also I haven't been titling the chapters so far, but if this chapter has one, it'll be Investigation, with varying conclusion~

Niou had never thought there would come a time when his quirky antics were made redundant in the club.

Right from the first day of his third year, the club was filled with so many unaccounted eccentricities that Niou's pranks would fit right in as the norm.

Starting from their first practice of the year, their data master who had always been present and punctual for every session disappeared. _It's the end of the world!_ That's pretty much how Sanada reacted who proceeded with interrogating everyone as if Yanagi had been kidnapped. Niou grew curious when Yanagi did not appear for three straight practices in a row, and a round of preliminary investigation (sneaking into the teacher's office) revealed that Yanagi had ' _dropped out_ '.

As if that human computer would do something that stupid.

But Niou had no time to dwell on that, for another problem arose! Oh, this time it came from their youngest troublemaker Kirihara, so order was restored to the world, no? No. Kirihara, no matter how thickheaded that seaweed head was, had never skipped practice. Perhaps coming late, but never skipping the entire session altogether, and for a record high of an entire week! He's literally begging for Sanada to slap him- and Sanada had been very liberal in his use of his punishment right from day 1. No one was to ever mention the word 'Yukimura', 'Yanagi' or 'Kirihara' within his hearing reach. Curiosity _killed_.

Kirihara returned to practice as suddenly as he skipped it. Knocked out cold, the school security brought him to the team who were still practicing at the court. Someone had dropped the boy like that at the school entrance apparently. They left him and his bags at the bench, and when Kirihara still had yet to wake up by the time practice ended, Sanada splashed cold water on his face.

Sanada nearly received a fist to the face for that. Kirihara's eyes were bloodshot red, scanning the regulars circling around him. When he could not find the thing he was looking for, he sprang up and walked away, deaf to the shouts and remarks for him. From then on, it was almost impossible to talk to him. The unresponsive Kirihara who sulked at everyone, or the red-eyed white-haired demon going on a rampage at every opportunity. Pick your poison.

Kirihara was already raking up high number of casualty in the club by constantly going on his devil mode for every single practice match. Now they also had this reserve, Hachisuka or whatever, who also helped in draining their reserves number with his endurance play style. Sanada let them, because 'it helped Akaya to practice his devil mode' and 'those that can't even defeat Hachisuka won't be playing in official matches'.

Back when everyone was just victory obsessed uptight bunch, Niou took joy in messing their rhythms. Now that the entire club was spinning in chaos, nothing could ease Niou's mind except getting down to the root of the problem: Yanagi.

Niou yanked Yagyuu out by his arm before he could take a step out of his class. "Our turn to skip practice."

Should Sanada slap them for it, then perhaps that's a sign that everything's going back to normal.

* * *

Hachisuka had never visited a friend in the hospital in the fifteen years of his life. Now he was forced to visit someone that he would not even dare to call a friend. The vice-captain had dragged him out wordlessly after Sunday practice. Hachisuka had wanted to request some time to adjust his hairdo and change out his sweaty uniform, but it died the instant he glanced into those intense brooding gaze.

Hachisuka tried to ask for time to redo his appearance, but he had glared with such intensity that Hachisuka could only nod meekly and followed. Thus he went outside with his sweaty tennis uniform and his pineapple hair.

He did not expect to see a hospital, and he clearly did not expect to be visiting their ill captain. Was this about his declaration on taking the regular spot? If that's the case then he should have made himself more presentable. He should not be judged based on his looks only, right? His heart was gradually beating faster as they entered the building.

Sanada told him to stay outside and entered the room alone. Hachisuka could hear some hushed conversation from inside and his heart thrummed louder. Were they talking about him? Perhaps they were discussing his recent matches. He had defeated half of the total pre-regular members to the point of getting himself a migraine so bad he missed school the next day. That should mean he did good, right?

"You may enter."

Hachisuka did not realize the door swung open until Sanada called him. Hesitantly, he stepped into the room, the chilly air and the scent of disinfectant assaulted his senses immediately.

The first thing he noticed was how exceptionally cold the room was. Even the brilliant sun ray illuminating the room from the window across did nothing to bring the temperature down. It might possibly due to the white-ness of the room, he tried to reason. Then he looked at the room occupant's cerulean eyes and that reasoning shattered to pieces.

Hachisuka had been club mates with the three strongest player since their first year. They made such an uproar back then, defeating all the existing regulars in their freshmen year. His captain, Yukimura, was the strongest of the three, knocking his opponent down one by one literally. When Hachisuka caught his glance it was ruthlessness and an immense thirst for victory.

The captain's eyes took his breath, but not for the same reason as before. Despite the gentle smile, the captain looked…what would be the correct word? Nonchalant? Apathetic? It was definitely not hatred, Hachisuka knew that well. Regardless, the captain still possessed such intimidating air despite the visible frailness, the pale skin, the malnourished body and-

"Hachisuka?" Someone placed a hand on his shoulder. It was Sanada. He stood beside him, only one step behind, as if to guard the door in case Hachisuka ran away.

"Ah yes." Hachisuka responded. "You were saying?"

The captain chuckled at his response. His feminine voice was hoarse compared to how Hachisuka remembered it. "You still haven't change, have you?"

Hachisuka blinked at the question.

The captain smiled. "Even with the new hairstyle, you're still the air-headed model."

Ah...that nickname. Hachisuka was not sure how to respond, so he gave a slow nod.

He did not expect the pleasantries to end so swiftly. The next second, the captain dropped his smile and went straight to business. "I heard from Sanada about your eagerness to replace Renji."

Replacement was probably too strong of a word. Hachisuka was nothing like Yanagi, not in play style and definitely not in skills. "There's a vacancy in the regular line up and I'm taking it." Hachisuka clarified.

"Why?"

Hachisuka gaped. "Why?" He reiterated.

"Yes, why." Sanada stressed. "You have only gone for one official match so far. Most of the matches you attended are for demonstrative purposes."

Yukimura added. "You didn't seem like someone who plays competitively, not until the recent district preliminary. What's your motivation?"

Hachisuka stared at the captain, then at the vice captain, then back at the captain. He was caught completely off guard. What was he supposed to answer? That he played competitively because he wanted to try being a 'hero' after being enlightened by the traitor?

That night after the meeting with Yanagi, Hachisuka did not sleep as he mull over his decision. Hachisuka had invested most of his life taking care of his image because he believed that was the best way to get the response he desperately sought from others. To become a hero meant he would be saving others, and those whom he had saved would indisputably treat him well. The only way to achieve this was to defeat the traitor Yanagi, which meant he had to become a regular, which meant he had to play seriously and gave up on his image because he could not afford to focus on both at the same time.

There was no way he was revealing all that to them. What would they think of him then?

"Uh…for fun?"

He had accidentally stepped on a landmine.

* * *

"Why am I here again?" Yagyuu asked indignantly. Niou was dragging him along for another trouble. Now they were standing before a house he had visited before.

"So that I don't look like his dumped boyfriend." Niou answered casually as he knocked on the door again.

"Right…" Yagyuu knew that Niou was reviving his detective work again, and that his excuse, although absurd, was partially true. Yagyuu did not have anything urgent besides afternoon practice so he supposed he could tag along. A little information would not hurt.

A moment later someone opened the door. A lady in her forties clad in traditional housewife attire greeted them. She had her brown hair in a bun and wore crimson colored kimono adorned with flower pattern with white sash. For a moment Yagyuu did a mental check whether they were still in the twenty first century.

"Yanagi residence here. How may I help you?" The lady greeted politely.

Yagyuu decided to take over. He could not let Niou treat this woman with any disrespect. "Good afternoon madam. We're Yanagi's friends from Rikkaidai. We would like to know if he's home." Yagyuu asked.

The lady's eyes lit up. "Ah, Renji's teammates." She remarked to herself. "Come in." She gestured the two boys to enter the house. Niou wordlessly followed the instruction, while Yagyuu gave a curt bow and a soft 'excuse me' as he walked inside.

She led them to the living room and told them to sit while she prepared some tea. They sat next to each other. Moments later, the lady returned with a tray of tea cups. She served her guests first before she took a seat across them and served one for herself.

It was only polite to take the drinks offered. Yagyuu thanked the lady and brought the cup to his lips, his foot nudging Niou to do the same.

"I believe you have many questions to ask." Madam Yanagi said as she put down her cup on the table.

Yagyuu suddenly remembered. "I believe we have yet to introduce our names."

"I am already aware." Madam Yanagi gestured to each of them with her palm. "You are Yagyuu Hiroshi, and your white haired friend here is Niou Masaharu."

That spared the introduction then. Yagyuu gave an affirmative nod.

"I'm sorry for interrupting but is Yanagi around?" Niou had lost his patience. Yagyuu coughed in reprimand. Even if Niou had spoken in his most polite tone, his timing was unmannerly.

"Unfortunately he is not." Madam Yanagi did not take offense on Niou's interruption.

"Then where is he?" Niou threw another question.

Yagyuu gave up on trying to make this encounter civil. Niou did not do civil unless it was a ' _very very very very very important person_ ', as Niou had said himself.

Madam Yanagi took a sip from her tea, letting the question sink in silence. She placed the cup down gently and answered. "I am afraid I can not answer."

"Why?" Niou asked.

"To honor the request of my son." Madam Yanagi answered calmly.

"Is he still in school?" Yagyuu tried. "Pardon me for interrupting." Yagyuu quickly added. He was getting caught up in Niou's pace.

"Yes." Madam Yanagi acknowledged the apology with a smile.

"What school?" Niou continued.

"I'm afraid I can not answer that too."

Niou was clearly pissed at the lack of progress. "You don't know, or you don't want to answer?"

Yagyuu was inwardly glad that Madam Yanagi was not as strict with manners as what her attire suggested or they would be kicked out of the house by now. At least he did not need to waste time beating around the bush.

Madam Yanagi contemplated her answer for a moment, her eyes deep as she recollected her memories. "It is both."

"If that is the case, then could you explain the things that you do not mind us knowing?" Yagyuu asked. "We are very concerned about him."

The lady of the house eyed the guests carefully. Yagyuu was sitting straight with a calm face. Niou sat with a slight slouch, trying his best to pull a concerned look that would convince anyone but Yagyuu.

Madam Yanagi heaved a deep sigh. "I guess I can tell you this much…"

* * *

Hachisuka was gasping for breath.

He did not know what just happened. A fraction of second after the word escaped his mouth, he suddenly felt the room getting colder than it already was and simultaneously feeling burnt alive, and…

And he could not stop trembling.

"You met Renji?" Both Yukimura and Sanada had their eyes on him. Apparently Hachisuka had spit the beans out somehow. He could feel his skin tingle as a drop of sweat trailed down his cheek. All he could hear was his own heartbeat, beating so rapidly as if he had just run a marathon.

There were no signs of malice in their eyes. The room had returned to a normal temperature, though Hachisuka felt very cold. Was he imagining things?

"Hachisuka, are you alright?" Yukimura asked gently. Hachisuka was staring with eyes wide at the captain as if he had grown two heads. Taking a gulp, he forced himself to nod.

"Could you tell us more about your encounter then?" The question was asked in such a sweet tone, yet it brought chills down Hachisuka's spine, like he was trapped in honey before a predator that was brandishing its fangs at him. Now would be a good time for him to retreat into one of his reverie and-

"HACHISUKA!"

No such luck.

* * *

"My son meant no harm to you." Madam Yanagi concluded.

"I'm sure he didn't." Niou retorted sarcastically. Yagyuu jabbed his elbow to Niou's arm.

Madam Yanagi gave a bitter smile. "I meant what I say. Renji is very considerate. The actions taken by my son are always with the intention of benefitting someone else. I am certain your school, or perhaps your team, is the intended beneficiary of his action."

"Pardon me for my tone Madam Yanagi." Niou said to prevent Yagyuu from elbowing him again. "I don't see how causing a shortage of regular in the team as _beneficial_."

"I understand where you are coming from and I apologize for the trouble my son has caused to you and the team." Madam Yanagi gave a slight bow. "I'm afraid there is not much I can help you with. There are many things I do not know of, and Renji trusted me to keep the things I know to myself."

Niou raised an eyebrow. "There are things he didn't let you know." He said, mulling the words in his head.

"Is he…doing fine?" That was the best way Yagyuu could rephrase his words. _Did he commit a crime?_

The respond the lady gave was unexpected. "This may sound out of topic, but another friend of Renji came for a visit last week. I believe the boy has the answer."

"Yanagi is protecting you." Niou muttered under his breath, loud enough for the other two to hear.

When he saw Madam Yanagi staring at him with a single tear rolling down her cheek, Niou knew he had hit the jackpot.

He also knew that they had overstayed their welcome.

* * *

"Why would Renji come back?" Sanada pondered. Only he and Yukimura were left in the room. Hachisuka had been more than eager to leave.

Yukimura heaved a sigh, holding his head in his hand. As if fighting his illness was not enough, now he had to deal with his friend going missing. As much as he was glad that Sanada carried his responsibility of the club, he was quickly running out of patience at how messy the club had become. If he was not confined in this sickly pristine place he could have replaced Yanagi just fine, and none of this would have happened.

"That pineapple head." Yukimura hissed.

_Is Renji doing fine?_

He pushed the thought aside and continued. "If my memory is not failing as well, then all that guy can do is throwing flashy moves."

_Why Hachisuka? He couldn't possibly be trying to destroy Rikkaidai?_

Yukimura refused to entertain the question. His head was already on the verge of splitting in half as it was.

"He plays very differently when he's serious." Sanada explained. "He has openly challenged the members for the regular spot. I will not have him as a regular until he has defeated every single reserve players."

Yukimura did not care for the explanation. He wanted result.

"Sanada."

Sanada looked up upon his name being called. Yukimura was looking at him with glossy, firm gaze.

"Promise me."

Everything Yukimura had grown to know and love was crumbling apart.

At least let Rikkaidai be the one thing _right_.

* * *

With only a few weeks left to the date stipulated on the club application form, Yanagi had been spending as much time practicing with Ootori as possible. Instead of one, now Yanagi insisted on taking three hours. Then Yanagi would treat his junior for dinner while discussing his school work. It was the least Yanagi could do to repay the boy's kindness.

It was now the norm for Yanagi to reach home two hours before midnight. After cleaning himself he would brew some tea, prepare another bucket of ice, and do his homework as he rested his wrist. It was unfortunate that he had to spend more hours than necessary due to his writing speed. He had only been getting three to four hours of sleep recently which he knew would bite him back eventually. Time would never on his side for the entire year.

As he was walking home, Yanagi noted how he could not feel his right wrist. He might have overexerted it on today's practice match with Ootori. He had insisted on two point match, and since it took some time to convince Ootori to go all out on him, the match took longer than anticipated. He was still far from being able to score a single ball against Ootori in his full strength. There was high probability of facing Shishido as an admission criteria, and being able to return his shots would likely not be enough. Yanagi could not possibly win the match, but he could at least try to score one point. He could not afford to rest.

Darkness loomed over the street and the sky. Faint street lamps and lights from neighboring houses illuminated the path sufficiently for Yanagi to see the coarse outline of the asphalt. He was pleasantly surprised to find a lone star twinkling as he switched his view to the sky. It was such a rare vista nowadays.

Being the sole occupant, Yanagi's unlit house was the only one that blend in the darkness. As he was reaching home, he spot a figure looming in the shadow right in front of his door. The lights from the neighboring house illuminated the outline of the figure, giving away enough information for Yanagi to stop dead in his tracks, his eyes wide opened.

That spiky black hair and rectangular glasses that glinted as he nodded to acknowledge Yanagi's presence.

The figure stepped out of the shadow and walked towards Yanagi. More and more of his features were illuminated: his pale skin, his blue and white shirt, the tennis bag slung over his shoulder, and the notebook on his other hand. Yanagi stopped breathing.

This situation was completely unaccounted for, utterly and absolutely beyond his data.

The figure stopped one step away from Yanagi, his features now fully revealed under the light. There was no mistaking it.

" _It has been 3 years, 11 months and 26 days, kyouju_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Is this what they call a cliff hanger? XD  
> Anyway I'm sorry if the pacing is really slow. But as mentioned before, there's a huge event coming up soon!  
> Hint: there's no rematch~


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: It's about time for some slice of life goodness~  
> Too bad good things don't last long.

No matter how advanced Yanagi's knowledge was, he was no doctor, and he did not need to be one to see how his wrist's condition had aggravated in three weeks. The internal damage would never heal on its own, not unless Yanagi stopped exercising it everyday. The gradual increase in size and intensity of the discoloration told him as much. But the most he could do was to prevent adding unnecessary strain in hope that the damage did not become permanent.

Yanagi would wake up very early in the morning, allocating himself two hours to prepare for school when he only needed half before. He would take one hour to practice his tennis in one of the plenty empty rooms the house he currently resided in offered, for this house used to host a family of four.

There was only so much he could do to enforce his muscles to execute the forms precisely. Leaving the rest up to time, he now moved on to his serves, the move that required him to use his damaged wrist. Yanagi learnt that serving with his non dominant hand was _painful_ in so many sense.

Afterwards, he would take care to alleviate his wrist. He spent the rest half an hour to rest his wrist in a bucket of ice as he cooled down from the exercise. Not wanting to waste time, he also spent the time researching on the novel Oshitari seemed to be very keen of. If everything actually went according to plan despite the great odds against him, he would need Hyoutei's ludicrously advanced equipments to push him beyond his physical limits in the most efficient manner, something he doubted he could attain elsewhere.

As he disposed of the now bucket of water in the toilet, he noted to himself to procure some painkillers. The second chance Atobe had hinted him at was looming very near, and Yanagi expected to be challenged to a match. Bringing a bucket of ice there would be very impractical.

He changed into his school uniform once he was finished with everything, not forgetting the wristbands. After he had double checked everything, he locked the doors and left for school.

* * *

In Rikkaidai, Yanagi assumed a role quite similar to a 'teacher's pet'. He always received the highest marks in class. He was that one student that always had the answers to every single question the teacher threw; Even more, to the point that he unintentionally offended the teacher by correcting him in front of the entire class.

It was similar in Hyoutei, the only difference being his scores actually failed to reflect this. he had scored average marks for every weekly tests thus far. It had zero thing to do with the difficulty of the question. It was unlikely for his handwriting to be legible enough not to be penalized had he forced himself to finish all the question.

The teacher had unfortunately noticed this discrepancy in the student that always had the correct answer to his questions and confronted Yanagi about it. "I second guessed my answer for too long." Yanagi reasoned logically. The teacher let him off, but from then onwards Yanagi took extra care to leave only the hardest questions unanswered.

What he did not take account was for his reputation to exceed his test grades. It probably had something to do with Yanagi's excellent score for his home assignments coupled with his inability to hold himself from correcting every single misinformation he heard. He had offended a total of five teachers thus far. He also earned himself a crowd of student swarming around his desk every morning.

"Lend me your homework!"

The crowd consisted of mostly desperate students who had not done their home assignment for various reasons. There were also some rare ones that sought him as a tutor and Yanagi would gladly assist them.

As Yanagi sat down and took out his homework, he caught two unexpected faces amongst the crowd. "Can I help you, Shishido Ryo and Mukahi Gakuto?" Yanagi deliberately singled them out while flipping his homework open and placing it on the table for everyone to see.

"Homework. What else?" Mukahi answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Shishido, however, was folding his arms and scowling with a slight blush.

"I-it's not like I'm here because I want it." Shishido stammered, his face slightly flushed. "Atobe told me to go find you! Also this has nothing to do with tennis okay? I still have my eyes on you." Shishido tried to intimidate, only to sound whiny.

"You actually asked _Atobe_?" Mukahi was struggling to hold back his laugh.

"Shut up!" Shishido's remark caused Mukahi to burst into laughter. "This is lame…" Shishido scowled.

Despite finding the whole situation funny, Yanagi agreed to help the two. Shishido took every opportunity to remind everyone, or rather himself, that he was not here on his own will, to which Mukahi snickered every time. Yanagi noticed that their foundation for their weakest subject was extremely inadequate and arranged to meet them earlier in school so that he could spend more time with them. A part of him wondered if he was just compensating for the junior that he always tutored in RIkkaidai, a thought he did not pursue further.

Regardless, it was a nice feeling, to be the one helping others again for a change.

* * *

As a 'scholar', Yanagi was expected to take more than one elective subject to demonstrate his exceptionality. The options available were music, art, calligraphy, foreign language, computer science.

He wanted to try music, but he had no excuse as to why he could not use both hands to play the instrument. Yukimura always chided him for his art looking too stiff, the angle too precise. He was already struggling with writing normally, letting alone writing characters beautifully in calligraphy. Yanagi doubted he could finish typing out codes in time with only one hand, not to mention doing so would attract unwanted attention. As much as he could, he would like to keep the usage of his left hand to a minimum.

So he opted to take calligraphy, the lesser of the devils. Way to open up an old wound.

It was not as difficult as Yanagi had anticipated. The only pressing concern was his inability to keep the writing to the paper, resulting in him having to scrub ink off the floor pretty frequently. He was also struggling to make the passing grade.

However, there was one assignment where he had gotten the highest mark in class. It was a home assignment. Yanagi had rewritten the characters again and again and again for so many times that he used up two entire ink bottles and hundreds of paper. By the time he was finished, the floor of the empty room he had used was covered in strokes of dried ink and paper balls. He could not get rid of the ink stain on his hands for several days.

Yanagi wrote it until it was perfect, just the way _he_ would write it.

The words were ' _Fuu Rin Ka Zan'._

* * *

Physical education was extremely excruciating, which was very ironic coming from a tennis player.

He could not come up with a sufficiently logical excuse that would not point to his health condition. . The teacher did not care for the non participation of those socially awkward students. Yanagi decided to join them.

However there was one session where Yanagi could not excuse himself in that manner. A number of teachers fell ill that day, so they decided to have a mass PE session. All gathered in the school's ridiculously large indoor sports hall, they're playing dodgeball.

"Class 3-B, 3-D, 3-F and 3-H inside." The male teacher instructed to the area marked by the white rectangular lines. "The rest line up outside."

Yanagi had considered skipping the session. It would be easy to slip out unnoticed with the horde of students gathered around. Upon spotting the tennis regulars around him, he decided to stay.

Out of all the tennis regulars, Taki Haginosuke, Gakuto, Oshitari and Yanagi were inside while the rest were outside. The four of them huddled together, constituting the outermost layer of the human barrier. Despite the large number of students, it was surprising that there were still so much room to move around.

Taki seemed more worried about his nails while Gakuto was chatting and clinging onto Oshitari. Yanagi scanned his surroundings carefully. It was 75 vs 78, 77 if they counted out the sleeping Akutagawa.

"We'll be playing with four balls. The rules are simple. Hit by the ball and you're out! If those inside catch the ball, they can hit those class with most survivor will receive a prize." The teacher shouted. There were some howling and roaring as some classes got fired up.

With that, the teacher threw three red balls to one student in each of the four sides of the rectangle. Yanagi raised an eyebrow. What were the odds that all the awake tennis regulars on the outside, Atobe and Shishido, had the ball in hand?

2.67%

The wailing of the whistle marked the beginning of the war.

Yanagi immediately cleared away to one of the two sides without any tennis regulars outside waiting for him. Mukahi jumped up to catch the ball Shishido aimed at him, somersaulted and hit the guy beside Shishido while upside down. Atobe managed to hit Taki in the arm, who muttered about how he would rather not play than ruining his nail as he walked out to the sidelines. Oshitari snatched the ball after it hit Taki and hurled it outside.

One by one the students inside were knocked out with deadly precise hits, mostly coming from Atobe who had taken over the ball all for himself. Oshitari and Mukahi were going all out, gunning the students outside one by one. Oshitari's hits were like an assassin, coming at unexpected times from unexpected angles. In contrast, Mukahi was jumping everywhere trying to get the ball every single time and retaliating.

Yanagi's strategy was to simply avoid every single ball because he did not want to strain his wrist unnecessarily by catching a ball. Thankfully his tennis reflexes were still very refined, which was very useful as his tall stature made him quite a frequent target.

It was such a coincidence that the remaining players standing were all tennis regulars. Oshitari, Gakuto and Yanagi were the three people left standing inside, Atobe and Shishido outside. At some point the students had decided to drag Akutagawa out from the battlefield by force since not even being hit by a ball a lot of times woke him up.

Both Atobe and Shishido had a ball in hand, Oshitari held the third one and had another one lying close to his foot. Mukahi was breathing very laboriously. Like a short fuse, he was all burnt out. Yanagi noticed the two players outside eyeing the redhead. In a split second, Shishido threw his ball at the redhead's vulnerable back. Yanagi grabbed Mukahi's hand and dragged him away in time.

Atobe saw through that movement and had thrown a ball to where Yanagi was pulling Mukahi towards. The ball was already on its way, aimed at Mukahi's shoulder. There was no time to react so Yanagi instinctively pushed Mukahi behind him and let himself take the shot. He did not have to, for Oshitari threw his ball to parry Atobe's, causing both balls to change course to the side.

Yanagi heaved in relief. "I'll be buying you time." Yanagi whispered to the person whose hand he was still holding tightly onto. Mukahi could not even comment on the situation, opting to keep his head low and swaying ever so slightly

"He doesn't have any stamina left." Oshitari commented from nearby.

"It's better than having me around." Yanagi stated.

The teacher interrupted the game midway to take away the balls and only left the one that had been hanging around Oshitari's feet. Another whistle and the game continued.

Oshitari threw the ball up playfully several times, deliberating on who to target. "Stop wasting time Oshitari. This match is already settled." Atobe scoffed arrogantly, earning him cheers from his classmates and his fangirls. Oshitari looked around. To everyone else it's three on two, but it's actually two on one. Oshitari did not feel like struggling so he passed the ball to Atobe.

Yanagi understood what Oshitari's movement had meant. It was the logical thing for him to do, to end this game right now. Mukahi would get to rest and Yanagi would escape from this game unscathed.

Yet Yanagi refused to stand still as Atobe aimed the ball towards him. For some inexplicable reason, he refused to release Mukahi from his grasp, preferring to run around the court while Oshitari only stood by as the two players attacked him alternatively.

Deep inside Yanagi knew why. He wanted to _win_. The thirst for victory was something deeply ingrained in him, something that he could not let go from his two years in Rikkaidai.

Mukahi suddenly stopped running and collapsed on his knees. Shishido quickly took the opportunity and threw the ball at the redhead. Before Yanagi could think things through, he took one step forward and backhanded the ball to Shishido, using his _right_ hand. Yanagi gritted his teeth to swallow the pain that came, regretting it immediately

The ball landed several inches away from Shishido's left foot and bounced. He gave the ball a bewildered look before getting into position and returned the ball with a forehand, the ball zooming cross the empty area between Oshitari and the other two to the unguarded area there.

"Oi oi, we're playing tennis now?" Atobe raised an eyebrow.

Shishido gave an impish smile. Mukahi yanked his arm out of Yanagi's grasp while Yanagi was busy trying really hard to keep the pain from showing on his face.

Out of nowhere, Akutagawa jumped up shouting "WE'RE PLAYING TENNIS!", grabbed the ball that had landed several steps away from him and threw it up in the air as if he was to serve it barehanded. He did.

In short, the teacher learnt not to let Akutagawa and any tennis regulars or _former_ ones to play dodgeball anymore, if they wanted their ball to remain intact and students to actually hit _each other_ and not the floor.

Yanagi learnt to excuse himself from every single PE session without exceptions.

* * *

Unlike Rikkaidai, Hyoutei had an absurdly lavish cafeteria that looked more like a hotel dining room, with round tables and even waiters around. Every variety of food was offered from all corners of the world, including some high class food that Yanagi had only seen the pictures of.

Lunch was the only time Yanagi got to meet the second years.

"Yanagi-san!"

It was Ootori and Hiyoshi. Ootori took a seat next to Yanagi and Hiyoshi followed beside him. Yanagi ordered soba, while Ootori took beef steak and Hiyoshi chose aglio olio.

"Thank you for helping me with my school work." Ootori got the dice rolling as he took a bite.

"You do not need to say that every single time." Yanagi replied.

"But you stayed so late to help me, even after our practice…" Ootori defended.

"And so did you. Consider it equivalent exchange." Yanagi countered.

Hiyoshi watched the amicably conversation quietly as he ate his noodles.

"Speaking of game," Hiyoshi joined the conversation. "You are not even in the team. Why do you keep on practicing?"

When Yanagi continued to eat his noodles in silence, Hiyoshi continued. "Do you intend to try for the team again?"

Ootori's eyes beamed in delight. He turned towards Yanagi. "I think you can do it, Yanagi-san!

You can return shots more accurately now. You have your amazing data too. I'm quite sure neither the coach nor Atobe-san would mind."

Hiyoshi was less positive. "Your play was pretty bad last time, to be blunt. I don't think they will let you in that easily. There's a chance they will ask you to fight Shishido again."

"But to defeat a regular to enter a club is-!"

This time it was Yanagi who watched the conversation in silence, eating his noodle without making any sound. The probability of facing Shishido again was quite high, but it did not feel like something Atobe would do. Would Atobe let him fight against a casual member this time? Or would he face someone even tougher? Yanagi had an ominous feeling on this.

"I don't think they'll be that cruel. Yanagi-san is just applying for membership, not regular position." Ootori defended. Yanagi beg to differ, but he kept it to himself. "So are you going to apply? I can ask Atobe-san to give you another chance."

Yanagi smiled genuinely at his junior's relentless generosity. "Thank you. I appreciate your kind thoughts."

"So you won't?" Hiyoshi quipped.

"Is that why you stop our training session?" Ootori quickly followed.

Yanagi shook his head. "I assure you I will reapply. I am taking the time to make the appropriate preparations." He explained.

"I'll be here if you need any help, Yanagi-san." Ootori was still giving him a worried face. Yanagi's lips curved upward again.

It was a peculiar feeling, having a junior that pay him so much attention and care. A total reverse from what he had before. As much as he missed him, Yanagi was slowly growing accustomed to having Ootori's soothing presence beside him.

Not that Yanagi could forget the other anyway. There were occasional nights where the image would haunt him back. This trauma was not something he could overcome by sheer willpower alone.

* * *

Yanagi always approached Oshitari's desk after school. Every time, he would start his greeting by throwing a novel title, to which Oshitari always shook his head.

"The usual?" Oshitari asked. It was more of a rhetorical question, for Oshitari had already prepared the stack of notes Yanagi wanted on his desk.

"Sorry for bothering you." His heart skipped a beat. Those words were awfully familiar.

"You continue giving me the data, I'll keep lending you my notes. It's all fair." If Oshitari noticed Yanagi's sudden burst of emotion, he did not show it.

Yanagi would copy the parts he had missed in class due to his considerably slower writing speed at home and returned the notes the following morning. He never failed to pass the updated data on Hyoutei tennis members to Oshitari every Monday, notes or no notes.

"We're in class duty today." Oshitari stated as he stood from his table. Yanagi smiled, discreetly revealing a duster in hand.

On their first duty, Yanagi had realized it too late and was delegated to moping. Yanagi dipped the cloth into the bucket and tried his best to wring the cloth dry by clenching his fist only. Oshitari, who had always been in charge of the blackboard, had noticed it. He grabbed the cloth from him and placed the duster on his hand and patronized him, "Do something you can actually do."

Though it discomforted Yanagi to know that Oshitari _knew_ , Yanagi accepted the offer. From then onwards, Yanagi made sure to reserve his duty ahead since plenty of students were aiming for it. He would even ask the class leader to relegate the job to him permanently if necessary. His homework should provide him with sufficient bargaining chips.

"Where's the duster again?" Someone groaned out loud.

Oshitari gave Yanagi a coy smirk. Wordlessly they parted, Yanagi placed the notes on his table and walked towards the blackboard while Oshitari casually went for the brooms.

* * *

Yanagi had grown so accustomed to spending his night practicing with Ootori that it was almost instinctual for him to approach the younger man once afternoon practice had ended. He managed to stop himself before he did. There was a reason why he needed to pause their sessions for the time being.

The sun was still casting orange hue in the sky when Yanagi grabbed his bag and went home.

It was such a rare occasion. Yanagi could literally count the amount of times he reached home before sundown on his two hands. For this entire week he was grateful of the opportunity.

He walked in the midst of the crowd streaming in the same direction, his mind instinctively analyzed his surroundings. A myriad of colors made up the crowd, from the fellow Hyoutei students, students from other schools, adults in suits returning from work, or parents and their young child. Yanagi quickly averted his attention to focus only on his own thoughts.

What would happen if someone from Rikkaidai spotted him? Highly unlikely that it was, Yanagi hastened his steps. They would know eventually. Once again it was a matter of when. Yanagi would prefer to limit the encounter to official matches. There would be less things to explain, leaving more room for assumption and misunderstanding.

The sky had turned more scarlet by the time he reached his home. As it was with each week, a figure was leaning against his door awaiting for his arrival. The person now wearing white shirt and green trouser who that had nearly gave him a heart attack was now someone Yanagi looked forward to meeting.

The person straightened his back. He had his blue and white duffel bag leaning against the wall beside him. Yanagi also spotted a green drink container and he gulped. His sensory buds had yet to recover from one week straight of disastrous concoctions. Even when he was not eating anything, his mouth felt bitter and spicy and tangy all at the same time.

"Sadaharu." Yanagi acknowledged the person standing before him with a nod. Inui stepped aside, allowing Yanagi to reach for the door and unlock it.

"For today's session I have specially prepared O-Renji juice." Inui gestured at his drink container. "You shall drink a shot every time you miss your serves."

Depending on what kind of monstrosity Inui had specially prepared for him, Yanagi might be dead from overdose by the end of their session. Then again, he had been knocked unconscious in each of their sessions.

Still standing by the door, Yanagi opened his mouth. "I would have requested you to spare me today. However I expect you have adjusted this…mixture of yours accordingly."

Inui fixed his glasses. "As expected from Kyouju."

Yanagi gave a curt nod and entered his house to prepare things before they left for their session. His best friend certainly had a lot of time to spare after he was dropped from the regulars, not that Yanagi minded. Good things don't last forever.

* * *

Already clad in his sleeping wear, Yanagi sat by his bed. It was still hours before midnight. This would be the first time he hit the bed so early since his transfer. For what would happen tomorrow, he would need to be in his best condition.

He stared at the transparent pet bottle filled with golden colored liquid sitting on top of his bedside.

True to his words, this concoction did not rob him of his consciousness. This 'O-Renji juice' worked similar to an energy drink, one that was healthy and disgusting in equal measure.

"Bring this along. It should invigorate you." Inui had told him. Indeed, on top of the energizing function, it would also leave him with such pungent sour aftertaste that could override his sense of fatigue or even the pain on his wrist. He swallowed his saliva. Five shots and his tongue felt like it was fresh lemon.

Yanagi bent down to pull open the drawer of his side desk and retrieved a piece of paper from it. Holding the paper on his lap, he scanned through everything written on it once again, especially the date stipulated which was tomorrow.

He still remembered lying there on the bed and Kabaji's presence. He remembered the occurrence preceding that, how he failed to return each and every shot, how Shishido's face contorted and how the rest of the audiences gasped and whispered around. It was a living nightmare, no matter how accurate his data was, his body could not follow. He had chased after each and every ball regardless if it's in or out. _Just one shot_ , that thought was the only thing that kept him running. A fraction of the despair he had experienced then rushed through him again. Yanagi shook his head.

It had been a month since then. One month might be too short for Yanagi to return to his previous level, but it was long enough to make a difference.

_Absolute victory, Rikkaidai!_

Tomorrow would be the second match for him to lose, Yanagi kept his mindset realistic. He would not be playing to win like his Rikkaidai self would, but rather to show how much he had improved as Yanagi Renji of Hyoutei. That would not stop him from pulling all stops to strive for victory even if probability was zero.

Placing the form under the bottle, Yanagi let himself rest on the bed. He closed his eyes, his mind running through the list of Hyoutei members and conjecturing images of how each matches might proceed.

Out of the regulars, Ootori might be tempted to go easy on him until he was convinced to do otherwise. Shishido was just dropped out of regulars _today_ , making him both likely and unlikely to be his opponent. Fighting Taki would be similar to fighting Shishido, only easier. Yanagi had a greater chance to defeat Mukahi by engaging him in an endurance game, though Yanagi highly doubted that would be the actual case.

Playing against Akutagawa would be pretty interesting since the serve and volley player would probably fell asleep while waiting for him to get a proper serve across. With Kabaji, he would end up facing himself which might actually give him an advantage given his current condition. Oshitari would try to push Yanagi to his limits before crushing him entirely.

What if it was Atobe?

Quick and painful. Yanagi gave a wry smile. There was only 4% probability of him getting just _one shot_ past the captain, unless...

Yanagi lifted his right hand above his face, staring at the dark black splotch that marred the skin on his wrist. He would rather not, but he would do it if he had to. For himself, for Rikkaidai, for _him_.

Atobe was sitting at his study table in his lavish bedroom in his white pajamas, gazing through the large pane of glass before him. This tranquil night was blessed with a full moon, illuminating the greeneries and the pool with its silver radiance, casting murky shadows on the ground and causing the rippling water to glisten beautifully. Such a delightful view.

It was full moon that night too.

Atobe turned his attention to the piece of paper laid bare on top of his silver table. A piece of legal document from Atobe Corporation which dictated the sponsorship of a student named Yanagi Renji to Hyoutei Academy. This fragile piece of paper was the only thing that permitted the former Rikkaidai student to stay in Hyoutei.

He casted a glance at his grey duffel bag leaning against his desk on his right and sighed.

Everything would change tomorrow, for better or for worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG Yanagi has a normal student life! XD
> 
> That dodgeball incident is probably as ridiculous as the sports festival that PoT has ever had. I suppose that's what they call sticking to the source? (or author just have no idea how dodgeball works)
> 
> Just to clarify, the incidents reflected here all came from the same week but different days. Hence why Ootori was still referring to Shishido as regular while at the last part Shishido was already dropped.
> 
> I think it should be obvious what's happening next~  
> Gah, I'm so anxious to write it. It would definitely be a challenge, a fun one, but difficult nonetheless.  
> I shall apologize in advance should I end up uploading the next chapter late.
> 
> Did you know, that today (14 May) was the date Shishido got dropped from regulars (according to wiki)? Whoops.
> 
> Also super long AN for a super long chapter. Whoooooooops XD


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I am finally done! Holy crap sorry for the long wait. I hope the chapter is worth the waiting. If not…if not...NO! NOT THE POISON HAND!

Hyoutei Gakuen's open stadium was bursting in commotion.

The entirety of the tennis club members were seated around the spectator area as per Atobe's order, with the regulars gathered around the frontmost row closest to the first court from the entrance. There was no one else in that court but Atobe, standing with his arms crossed and holding a racquet. Coach Sakaki was seated at the bench next to the court.

This view was the closest thing to an explanation Atobe gave. The audiences were speculating wildly, the loud noise overlapping each other in a sea of disharmonious chorus.

"What's the big occasion?" Mukahi threw the question to the other regulars present, his head flicking left and right at the audiences around him to find some sort of clues.

"No clue." Hiyoshi answered from two seats to Mukahi's left. "Could it be a practice match?"

"That's stupid." Mukahi refuted immediately. "We would be down there with him if that's the case. Even if it is, he won't gather everyone just to cheer for a simple practice match."

A light bulb popped out on Mukahi's head. "Unless it's against Seigaku's Tezuka or Rikkaidai's Sanada?" Mukahi gasped.

"Rikkaidai?! Would there be Marui?! Nee Mukahi-senpai, would there be Marui?" Akutagawa chirped in from Mukahi's right, his eyes sparkling from his misplaced enthusiasm. Mukahi slapped his forehead, wishing the boy to fall asleep anytime now. Kabaji who was seated next to Akutagawa was not doing anything to help and there was no Atobe to tell him to do so.

Mukahi was glad when he saw a familiar figure approaching them. "No luck huh, Ootori?" Mukahi quickly passed Akutagawa's attention to the silver haired sophomore.

Ootori shook his head. "I've looked around the entire school." He frowned as he sat down between Mukahi and Hiyoshi, his body slumped in dejection. "I still can't find Shishido-san."

"That's why I told you to just leave that guy be." Mukahi told him. "He needs some time to adjust to the whole regular thing."

"What about Oshitari-san? I didn't see him too." Ootori raised his volume against the uproar that slowly grew louder as the crowd became increasingly restless.

"He's probably too lazy to bother." Mukahi shrugged.

Ootori decided to drop the subject. Silence set in between them for a few second before Ootori spoke up again. "This feels very nostalgic." He singsonged.

"What about it?"

"Two years ago. It was you and Shishido-san against Atobe-san at first. Then Oshitari-san came and played against Atobe as well." Ootori elaborated with a dreamy smile. "Hiyoshi-kun and I were watching from this side."

Mukahi rubbed his temple as the unpleasant memory crept back. He could see the shadow of his former self together with a young Shishido forming at the court across Atobe, getting completely owned i match against the captain.

He rubbed the image out of his eyes." Don't remind me…" Mukahi grumbled.

* * *

The moment Yanagi, in white shirt and long brown pants, stepped out of the school building with his duffel bag over his left shoulder, the first thing he noticed was the absolute tranquility. Gone were the usual sight of students rushing in hope of making it to tennis practice on time. The outdoor courts were all unoccupied. Yanagi Renji was the only human walking, suspiciously so.

The silence remained until a certain point where a faint discord reached his ears. It grew louder with each step. Yanagi was not pleased to discover that it originated from the stadium. Either he had missed a memo regarding another event that coincidentally took place today, or he was set up to another public match. Either way, he had just found his venue.

The knowledge did not deter Yanagi from taking another step, and another towards the stadium. The noise grew louder and louder, going above the volume he was comfortable with. Yanagi's heart skipped a beat in realization. This time, it seemed he had the entire tennis club population as the audience, possibly more. He gripped the belt of his bag tighter.

Yanagi stepped into the shadow casted by the massive building. He was at a proximity where the sound had reached such great volume that the change made as he stepped closer was no longer distinguishable. The noise felt curious, anxious and Yanagi wondered why them instead of him.

Before he could deliberate on the answer, Yanagi's track came to a stop upon catching someone else's presence across him. Oshitari Yuushi was leaning against the door to the stadium, his expression unreadable as always.

"You're five minutes early." Oshitari noted passively.

Yanagi did not say anything in return. He walked closer towards his classmate, stopping at a comfortable distance three steps away.

"You know what you're going into right?" Oshitari asked, the implied concern devoid in his stone expression.

Yanagi adjusted the belt biting on his shoulder. "Always." came his confident reply.

"After that last incident with Shishido, if I were you, I'd turn back now." Oshitari sighed. "I don't understand why you're trying so hard to get in."

_Who are you doing this for?_

Yanagi took a deep breath. He did not need to be reminded of that night, for it never left his memory to begin with. "I'm entering." He announced. Whatever was waiting for him behind those two grey doors, be it a savage beast or a rabbit, he had made himself resolute to face it head on.

Oshitari scrutinized Yanagi's countenance. Satisfied with what he could find, he shrugged. "Well, my job was to fetch you anyway." He said, raising both hands in defeat as he stepped aside. Yanagi gave a nod, a silent thank you, and proceed forward.

He let go of his grip on his bag and wrapped it around the vertical steel pole of the handle. Yanagi glanced at the blue haired man standing beside him. _I'd turn back if I were you_ , he had warned.

Face everything head on. Clinch victory fair and square. Absolute victory.

None of those made any sense in his context, but it lit up something inside him. The words consumed all the unnecessary things, intoxicating him to the point that his actions defied his thought. Yanagi pushed the large door open.

His senses were instantly assaulted by massive gust of turbulence. Struggling to remain unaffected, Yanagi stepped inside and let go of the handle and the door swung shut with a loud thud. The noise was made worse now that it had no means to escape the tunnel, ricocheting here and there in a mad frenzy; his own condition manifested.

The beaming light at the end of the tunnel revealed Hyoutei's purple colored courts. Yanagi walked closer to it, the distance between him and the entrance growing further. More were revealed to his eyes as the exit grew closer, such as the anticipated crowd waiting at the spectators' area.

The radiant daylight embraced Yanagi in a sweltering hug as he stepped out of the shadow.

The deafening uproar died to a whisper. On a glance, it seemed nearly the entire Hyoutei tennis club population was present. Yanagi even spotted some unfamiliar faces amongst the crowd. Based on their reactions, there was no event taking place here. _He_ was the event.

"What are you here for?"

That commanding tone that could bring the whisperings to dead silence had to belong to that person. Yanagi did not address the person immediately. He continued walking to the unoccupied side of the court and towards the bench, passing by Atobe who was inspecting his every move from across the net.

Placing his bag down, he firstly took out his racquet and placed it on the bench. Next he took out the bottle of drink he had gotten from Inui and also put it aside. Then he took out a grey clear file and its content, the piece of paper that had allowed him to stand here today. Taking only the piece of paper, he walked towards the net to approach the captain on the other side of the court.

With both hands, Yanagi held the paper over the net towards the other person with a slight bow. "I, Yanagi Renji, am retrying for admission to Hyoutei tennis club." He announced his every word as precisely as he could. The hushed audience began to stir in response.

Atobe untangled his crossed arms. It was not to accept the paper. His right hand reached up straight to the air, and _snap!_ With a flick of his fingers, the audience was silent once again.

"Everybody listen, especially you." Atobe's observant eyes were drilling through Yanagi's perpetually shut ones. Yanagi slowly withdrew his hands to his sides, carefully eyeing the other man back.

"This is what will happen today." There was no hesitation in Atobe's words. "I'll be playing against you today."

Yanagi's heart skipped a beat while the audience broke into uproar. So it was the worst case after all.

Atobe continued. "I'll make it easy for you. Get one shot past me, and you win." The crowd gasped in protests. Understandable, but Yanagi's first instinct was to bring his guard up. There was always a reason behind every action.

_'I am offering you not a strength, but a potential.'_

"Score more than that, and I'll give you the regular spot."

The crowd hollered at that, especially the regulars who knew very well the trials they had to go through to get to their position at the moment. Ootori stared wide eyed with one hand over his mouth. If looks could kill, Hiyoshi would have murdered the two people on the court. Akutagawa was asking the same question to Mukahi again and again like a broken record, but Mukahi was too busy growling at Atobe, or rather his back.

"Bastard! You're just gonna discard Ryo like that?!" Mukahi shouted, his loud protest drowned in the din.

"But," One word from Atobe and the deafening noise immediately scattered away, the audience eager to listen. The captain flicked his racquet swiftly, stopping just right before Yanagi's face. "Fail to do any of that and in the name of Atobe Corporation, I'll drop your scholarship."

Yanagi snapped his eyes open at the captain, the constantly revolving gears in his mind was forcibly halted for once.

_'I'll expect you to deliver those words.'_

"Should that happen, I want you out of Hyoutei."

The worst case scenario he had imagined was literally happening before his eyes.

To Yanagi's surprise, Atobe was not yet finished. "However, I'm generous enough to let you escape this unscathed." Atobe jerked his racquet down at Yanagi's left hand. "Tear that paper."

Yanagi's eyes trailed to where Atobe was gesturing to. The form that Atobe himself had given him. He knew Atobe was a fan of dramatics. The man who gave him a second chance to be the same man that could end everything. Yanagi would have appreciated the irony more in any other situation.

No, Yanagi closed his eyes, bringing the gears back to work. He had to focus.

_'I have nothing to benefit from this bargain. I might as well be accepting a spy into my ranks.'_

That was the entire point of this theatricals.

Everyone was anticipating Yanagi's next move. The silence that dawned on the spacious stadium was stretched so tensely it could slice.

Yanagi briefly wondered why he was given so many opportunities to turn back now and none of that luxury back then, when he truly needed it.

Yanagi brought up the hand that was holding onto the form until it was perpendicular to his body, the content of the form was displayed clearly to Atobe. "If anyone is going to damage this paper, it will not be me." Yanagi answered, trying to maintain his composure as much as possible. A month had passed and he could still not grow accustomed to dealing with situations when probability was not in his favor.

Though he had learnt that as long as it was not zero, proceed.

Atobe smirked. "That'll only mean something if you succeed." He turned and walked away to the end of the court to take his position. Yanagi followed suit, retreating to his bench to take his racquet. He slipped the paper under the bottle for the time being.

Yanagi also took all the time he needed to go through everything. He checked wristbands and flicked his right wrist. The pain was surprisingly dull. The medicine he had taken prior seemed to be working fine. He just had to keep his mind constantly alert despite what the medicine was trying to do to him. He nearly tied the shoelace of the same shoe twice.

Once done, he experimentally swung the racquet against the air several times, refreshing his mind for his strategy against the captain. He was ready. Yanagi took his position on his side of the court.

Just one shot.

If that was the potential Atobe wanted to see in him, Yanagi would deliver it as promised. He would get himself out of Hyoutei, with or without Atobe's permission should he fail to do something as basic as that, even if probability of failing was 96%. He never even bothered entertaining the offer for the regulars. Even if it was handed to him in a silver plate, at his current condition, he would refuse.

Atobe went to serve.

* * *

"What's with all the screaming?" Standing at the stadium's entrance, Taki asked Oshitari who was leaning against the wall at the exit of the tunnel. He was just a bit late to the practice and apparently he had missed some kind of party or something very spectacular based on the reactions he had been hearing on his way here. Though Taki doubted it was a party for it was all silence now and all he could hear was the sound of ball being smacked across the court.

Oshitari was too busy eyeing the match outside to reply Taki. Oshitari, interested. That was unusual. "Oi Oshitari." Taki walked up to Oshitari and looked in the same direction. He gasped at what he saw.

"T-that Rikkai guy is playing against Atobe?" Taki pointed at the brown haired player that was hitting a shot with his forehand. "He can't even win against Shishido!" The brown haired player missed a shot that landed near his right foot. "No, scratch that. He can't even play."

Oshitari finally turned his attention to the other man, though his gaze was still fixated on the match.

"You've just missed 'that guy who can't play tennis' returning Atobe's Rondo of Destruction by the way."

"You're kidding!" Taki shouted so loud that he himself cringed at the echo that assaulted him afterwards.

He expected to see Atobe being oppressed after what Oshitari had said. Instead, he was seeing the Rikkai guy running around the courts madly while Atobe relentlessly assaulted him. It reminded Taki of old west movies when the cowboy shot at a person's feet, causing the victim to jump around to avoid the bullets. The score climbed to 1-0 in a blink of an eye.

"You sure you're not hallucinating?" Taki eyed Oshitari suspiciously.

"No." Oshitari's answer was uncharacteristically serious.

"He just lost. As in straight in a row. It was 45-0 just now." Taki emphasized, pointing at the two players that were changing court.

"You'll probably end up the same." Oshitari answered dismissively.

"Repeat that again?"

Oshitari narrowed his gaze at captain that was holding three fingers before his face in what he recognised to be his 'insight' pose. "None of us would stand a chance when Atobe goes all out."

* * *

Atobe scrutinized the opponent before him. Shoulders rising up and down at a faster pace, several beads of sweat trickling down the side of his face, his right hand twitching sporadically. Atobe furrowed his eyebrow.

Was everything just now a fluke? Atobe had deliberately used his special serve to intimidate his opponent which he did not expect to be returned. Before Atobe could even give Yanagi the benefit of doubt that this could be a challenging match, Yanagi was showering him with openings left and right. Atobe easily won his first point without breaking a sweat.

It was Yanagi's serve. The other man threw the ball to the air and served…and it hit the net. Second try and Yanagi failed his serve again. Atobe heaved a sigh.

So it was a fluke after all.

Yanagi managed to hit the serve on his third try. Atobe wasted no time to return the ball, aiming it exactly at Yanagi's wrist. He managed to flick his limb away from the line of shot, in return giving Atobe the score. 30-0

Atobe had seen enough. Yanagi had improved from the match one month ago, Atobe admitted. Given more time, Atobe was confident that he could reach Shishido's level.

Given more time, anyone could reach that level. That was no longer 'potential', not for Atobe.

He had given him the opportunity, but now the time's up. Life is unfair, Atobe would teach Yanagi that.

Atobe aimed his shot at Yanagi's right wrist again, intending to hit bullseye once before he called this wasting of time off.

* * *

2-0

"For the last time Ootori, just let them fight." Mukahi emphasized with a dramatic sigh. He regretted coming to practice today. He could not even enjoy the match before him in peace! Not that the match was that interesting, but there was always something entertaining to see when Atobe beat the crap out of someone.

Akutagawa was being very annoying as usual, pointing out every little detail of the match to Mukahi, sometimes shouting them out. Hiyoshi looked as if he was recording the match with his eyes, barely batting his eyelids.

Ootori was being ridiculously fussy.

"But it's unfair Mukahi-san!" Ootori protested loudly. He blushed when the students around hushed him. "I mean, Yanagi-san clearly can't beat Atobe-san. And Yanagi-san just want to join the team. Why must Atobe-san make it so difficult?" Ootori whispered, though his emphasis on certain words were still delivered clearly.

Mukahi rolled his eyes. "As if I know. We got a Rikkai top player who suddenly forgets how to play tennis and is now struggling to join Hyoutei for lord knows why. Nothing about this make sense."

"Look! Look!" Akutagawa shouted. In the short time they sat together, Mukahi had mastered the art of ignoring him. Everyone did, in fact.

"But Atobe-san also say something about terminating the scholarship. That should have nothing to do with this at all." Ootori argued in whispers.

"LOOK!"

"Atobe also gave him the choice of walking out." Mukahi shrugged. "Yanagi chooses this."

"Seriously, LOOK!" Akutagawa's shout became so loud that both Ootori and Mukahi were forced to surrender. Both of them glared at Akutagawa. He was pointing at the court. The two of them turned to look at the court to find a rally between Atobe and Yanagi. Nothing new-

"Wait. A rally?" Mukahi scrutinized the game closer. His eyes widened when he discovered what was really happening. Yanagi was returning shots that he had not been able to do so before, even the one aimed at his right wrist.

"See, I told you to look!" Akutagawa grinned cheekily at his two seniors who were immediately absorbed in the match and ignored him.

* * *

His right wrist, the spot two feet ahead of his right foot, the rightmost corner of the court. Yanagi was returning shots after shots that were aimed at his 'weak points'. It managed to take Atobe by surprise, but Atobe was able to return it with ease. What started as one of Yanagi's plan to get one point turned into a distinctly long rally.

_'I know you're the one who taught me data tennis in the first place, but I think I can say that the advantage of data tennis player is not in guessing where the shots will land. Don't you think so, Renji?'_

Atobe relentlessly attacked each one of the 'weak points' Yanagi had established in the previous exchanges, and Yanagi did his best to return every single one of points were not entirely made up; They existed back when he fought against Shishido. Yanagi had gotten rid of most of them within one month's time.

The rally was getting too long, and Atobe had nearly eliminated all of his 'weak points'.

A fast ball whizzed through under Yanagi's left arm and bounced out of the court. 3-0

"Did you actually think you can fool my insight?" Atobe smirked behind his typical pose. Yanagi glanced at the area Atobe just attacked. As expected. Yanagi knew that if this plan failed, his true weak point would be exposed.

As a counter player, he was used to exploiting his opponent's weakness. It was something he could not do as well with his right hand out of commission. Training with Inui had made him realize that there was a way to incorporate data tennis in his situation. It would have worked, especially for opponents with weak mental fortitude.

Atobe had no weakness to exploit. It had taken Yanagi three sets to give him one, and Atobe overcome it in one rally.

For a man of strategy, it ashamed him to admit that was the only strategy he could come only other one he had was one he would rather not use at all unless in dire circumstances. Yanagi had difficulty quantifying the level of difficulty of this situation. This was possibly his last shot at maintaining his place , the great wall he had to overcome to proceed with his plan.

On the other hand, his right hand, that was aching to the point of disrupting his focus, was begging at him to end all of this. Leave Hyoutei, leave Kanagawa and start anew with his hand healed.

The score quickly climbed to 4-0 now that Atobe was ruthlessly gunning his true weak point. Yanagi took a time out and went to take the oddly colored drink that had been prepared for this occasion, glancing at the form as he lifted the bottle. His breathing was getting more strained, his heart beating rapidly. He had come this far.

He had to go further.

Twisting the cap open, he brought it to his lips and downed the golden liquid in gulps, struggling not to gag at the absurdly sour flavor that seemed to squeeze his throat dry and sent a hammering migraine straight to his head. At least now his mind was too preoccupied to register the pain on his right wrist.

5-0. Yanagi was breathing heavily. He was not only at his wits end, but also at his physical limit. Atobe was not letting down his guard, not even an inch. He supposed it was an honor that Atobe bothered to go all out on him, even if it was to hasten the match to its inevitable end.

The captain of Hyoutei was like burning ice, showering Yanagi with cold mercy. In every shot Yanagi missed, he was blaming himself for his inadequacy. But unlike the match with Shishido, there laid a (slim) chance of winning in each and every game, all the way until the end of the match. And unlike Shishido's, the stakes were higher.

One shot, something that should be 89% doable given a properly functioning right hand.

* * *

There was only one time Yanagi had managed to escape suffering through Inui's wonderful concoctions, and it was only two nights ago. The condition that night had been 'win this tie-breaker'. Inui had obviously been holding back so that they could prolong the game as much as possible. Endurance was never much of an issue though, Yanagi had thought. He was sufficiently trained in Rikkaidai on that. It was the issue of winning.

Yanagi had struggled to entertain the game for as long as he could, but he had felt the need to get his opponent as close as he could to the point where he could no longer afford to feign weakness. The score had been 188-187 to Yanagi's favor. When Yanagi saw Inui took his next stance, he knew that Inui was going to go all out and end this. Yanagi was going to lose.

Probability of winning was 2%.

Inui had not expected the shot to suddenly sink and his the baseline. To be precise, he was not expecting Yanagi to pull this move on him in this condition. Neither did he expect the loud clattering noise of racquet hitting the court. Inui looked up to find his friend with his head bowed low, his left hand cradling his right that was shaking badly and his racquet strewn two meters away to his southeast direction. Inui immediately rushed to get his friend the ice pack he had brought along.

"Don't ever pull this again." Inui had warned as he grabbed Yanagi's trembling hand and placed the cold reliever on the injured spot, marked very obviously with a garish red splotch.

Inui had added with a sigh upon realizing what his friend's lack of answer implied. "At least don't do this now."

* * *

45-0. It had finally reached Atobe's match point.

It had been interesting, Atobe could give Yanagi at least that. The game was far from challenging and Atobe had barely broken any sweat, but the trick that Yanagi had tried to pull on him was a pleasant surprise.

It was regrettable, really. Yanagi could be a strong asset to the team, but if he could not score just once against him, he was no better than any of the current senior members in the team. He might as well hire a professional strategist if that was all he could get from Yanagi.

"This is the end." Atobe stated as he served for one last time, putting all his power to it and aiming it at that one spot that was Yanagi's weak point. Atobe did not even bother to get into position to receive the next shot. He knew there would be no shot to return.

The movement had been swift even to Atobe's keen eyes. Yanagi flicked his left wrist, tossing the racquet to his right hand. He positioned his body low and swung the racquet, the slice produced a high speed shot back at Atobe. At the same time, he could hear the powerful sound of a racquet smashing onto the court.

Good try, but it was just a backhand slice. Atobe promptly readied himself to receive the shot with a simple backhand. He did not expect the ball to suddenly sink onto the court.

His reflexes kicked in. Atobe twisted himself in the direction of the ball, effectively tossing himself onto the ground to scoop the ball up before it hit the ground. The ball was successfully returned to Yanagi's side as a slow drop shot, although slightly further away from the net than Atobe would normally prefer. Atobe scratched the side of his right hand as he skidded on the ground upon his landing.

_'Who are you doing this for?'_

Yanagi had his racquet strewn approximately three steps away to his right. It was impossible for him to retrieve it and return Atobe's shot in time.

But Yanagi did not even glance at his racquet. Acting purely out of instinct, he dashed to the net, his hands posed as if he was to return the ball with a left-handed backhand using an invisible racquet. The ball was at the height of his knee, and he was still two steps away from reaching it.

_'Rikkaidai tennis club. For their third consecutive victory.'_

His feet took off of the ground. Yanagi propelled himself forward, simultaneously swinging his left hand as if he was hitting a backhand. The closer distance allowed his fist to make contact with the ball one foot before it hit the ground forcing it to rebound upwards. Unable to catch himself from falling with his right hand, Yanagi twisted slightly so that his right upper arm took the crash instead.

The ball reached its maximum height just above the net. It hit the top of the net right dead in the middle, and toppled to the opposite side.

"Game, set and match, Atobe!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Updates will be roughly monthly from now on. To be precise, at most monthly. I promise!


	11. Chapter 11

Hyoutei's open stadium was so silent that there might as well be no one inside.

The two figures were sprawled on the court in the wake of the fierce showdown. All eyes were on them. No one could process the situation quick enough to make a remark, and even if they could, their voices were nowhere to be found. No one dared to breathe.

Atobe slowly rose to his two feet.

Being the sole person moving in the seemingly frozen time, Atobe dusted the dirt off the length of his right arm. Once done, he stared at his opponent lying face down on the court, his expression unreadable.

"Stand."

Yanagi had heard the command loud and clear. His mind was still capable of processing information and his body was still capable of following the command no matter how much he wished otherwise.

For him to rush and return the ball using bare hands… Thoughtless, reckless; Words that he had never thought would befit him. His short stay in Hyoutei had transformed him to a man he was no longer familiar with.

No. It was his data that was lacking.

He had been like that, from the day all of this began.

* * *

_Sitting on his studying desk, Yanagi adjusted his desk lamp so that the ray focused only on his right wrist. Repeated scrutiny revealed the same result: no visible contusion, no deformation. It appeared perfect, at least until he flicked it, and the immediate pain that blasted through his veins made him hissed._

_He could no longer play tennis._

_Keeping oneself composed is of utmost importance under unprecedented circumstances, Yanagi told himself as he took a deep breath. Cause, action, consequences. Unable to play tennis, Rikkaidai tennis club, Genichirou-_

_Genichirou, Seiichi… The promise to remain undefeated._

_It might be salvageable. Someone in the reserves- Hachisuka Aki, or Saito Jin, could replace him. Yanagi could still contribute as a manager. It would be very challenging for Rikkaidai to remain victorious under such handicap. However, if he considered the strength of each regulars-!_

_Yanagi's heart skipped a beat._

**_Him._ **

_At the very least, the sealing of that technique and several weeks of suspension. At most, he might be_ dismissed _from the club._

_The probability was 86%._

_Yanagi clenched his fist, gritting his teeth at the expected pain that followed. No, he could not afford to let emotions swallow him now. He had to find a solution to this problem that he had made for himself. He had to reduce the damage as much as possible. Himself be damned, he could not afford to let himself be the person to destroy their legacy._

_It was not until several hours later that Yanagi stood up and walked out of his house, still clad in Rikkaidai tennis jersey and shorts. He knew how rude it was of him to appear in front of someone's home unannounced in the middle of the night, especially when that someone was of different school. That did not matter._

_Only one thing mattered._

_"I beg for your assistance to enroll me into Hyoutei."_

* * *

Such an apt timing for flashback from a literary standpoint, Yanagi bitterly noted as he pushed against the ground with his left hand. He could lie down all day, but that would not advance anything. Hindsight was 20/20 and now all that was left for him was to face the reality as the curtains were closed.

It was a struggle to stand up, less due to the fatigue and the pain on his wrist. It probably took him an entire minute. Such a stark contrast, between Atobe who looked impeccable sans the angry gash on his right arm, and Yanagi, perspiring heavily, limping slightly on his right foot, though he made sure his back was straight.

Yanagi dared himself to look at Atobe. Atobe had his right hand stretched towards Yanagi, his palm facing up.

It was not an offer for congratulatory handshake, it could not be. Atobe was asking for something, that was all Yanagi's strained mind could comprehend.

"If you can't understand such an obvious request, I will reconsider your position once again." Atobe furrowed.

Yanagi blinked, the pieces of the informations snapped together. Atobe was requesting for the form?

This was not right. He had scored against the rules.

In an act of rebellion, Yanagi found himself taking one step closer to where his form was. And another step. And another.

Yanagi returned with the form in hand, but Atobe's extended hand remained empty.

"What are you waiting for?" Atobe was growing impatient.

If his analysis were to be trusted, Yanagi was _that_ close to completing the toughest chapter in his plan. Yet his left hand refused to hand over the form.

He had _begged_. He had casted away his pride, and yet this thing that shacked his hand down, this thing that made Yanagi say,

"I did not meet your requirement."

Atobe still had one hand extended out in expectation. "You scored a ball. That is the requirement I have imposed."

"It was against the rules."

Atobe stared at the oddly stubborn man. "Even if you're retracting your admission now, you will give that form to me."

Yanagi stared back, not understanding Atobe's words fully.

"Didn't you say so yourself, that if anyone is to damage that paper, it would not be yourself." Atobe extended his hand once again in emphasis.

He had indeed said that. Having no choice, Yanagi rested the paper on Atobe's hand.

Atobe took the form and held it up above his head. "I, Atobe Keigo, will accept this application." Yanagi snapped his eyes open in surprise. Atobe continued to address the entire spectators surrounding them. "Those of you who think otherwise, I welcome you to voice out now, or hold your peace forever."

Atobe did not forget to address the turbulent concern emitting from the main character. "I made the rules. I decide what is accepted."

As much as Yanagi wanted his plan to work with as minimum hitch as possible, he had never wished for shortcuts. His pride could not accept it, no matter how much logic told him otherwise.

"From tomorrow onwards, full attendance is mandatory. Your attendance is considered taken for today. You may go home if you wish."

Yanagi did, without hesitation.

* * *

In terms of his surroundings, Yanagi noticed some inspective glances as he made his way to class on the next day. He himself was supporting a slight limp, the entire bandaged length of his right arm was aching, and the bones on his left hand that had made impact with the ball was showing signs of impending bruise. Other than that, there was nothing notably different much to his relief.

The illusion lasted until he reached his desk. As soon as he sat down and placed his bag, someone slammed a grey object on his table. It was a uniform- Hyoutei tennis club uniform to be exact. And the person who brought it were none other than Shishido Ryo.

"Atobe forced me." Shishido did not bother to hide the fact that he would rather be anywhere else.

"I appreciate it." was Yanagi's reply. He did not overlook the fact that on top of Oshitari, there were a total of eight tennis club members in his class.

Yanagi did not expect Shishido to grab the chair of the seat in front of him and sat facing him. "Look," Shishido rested his arms across the head of the chair. "I heard that you scored against Atobe."

Shishido had to be absent yesterday. "It was unofficial." Yanagi said before he could stop himself.

"Doesn't matter. I know more than anyone how difficult it is to score against Atobe, official or not." Shishido went quiet, his gaze averted to the uniform on the table.

Shishido muttered under his breath, loud enough for Yanagi only to hear. "I'll get back on the regulars."

"I believe Hyoutei tennis club has a policy against that." Yanagi reminded.

"Yeah, and you're not supposed to be here." Shishido retorted. Yanagi had nothing to say to that.

Shishido stood and slammed his hand on the table, right before the neatly folded uniform. "If you can achieve this, so can I."

"I'll get back on the regulars. And if you _ever_ set your sight on the regulars spot, you'll have to face me first. Until then, I won't acknowledge your existence." Shishido stormed off after the loud declaration, leaving Yanagi's classmates' unwarranted attention to be thrown at Yanagi. Yanagi sighed.

Yanagi had not meant to exploit the loophole in Atobe's words. The outcome was undeserving. If it had been Atobe who denied his existence, Yanagi could understand. Yet Atobe allowed the story to progress in this manner. There was nothing he could gain from this, Atobe himself had explicitly said from day one. Did something change during their confrontation?

Yanagi looked at the set of uniform before him. The first chapter had met its end, no matter how unpleasantly, and he should not be struggling to revive it. Yanagi took the uniform and placed it in his bag.

It was now the regulars.

* * *

Yanagi did not go to the cafeteria during break that day. His encounter with Shishido early in the morning was enough to encourage him to isolate himself whenever possible. He went to the rooftop instead, letting his mind be carried by the gentle flow of the wind. Normally it would also be accompanied by the scent of flowers, along with the presence of the person that would bear the same scent any other time he was not in court.

"Here you are, Yanagi-san!"

He might be reminiscing of a company he had not seen for a month now, but that did not make his wish to remain alone for the time being any less. "Ootori Choutarou." Yanagi greeted. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

The sophomore had brought his lunch along. At the very least, Yanagi was thankful that it was the most amicable out of the possible options. Ootori went and sat next to Yanagi, to which Yanagi followed suit. Yanagi refused the kind sophomore's offer to share his lunch.

"Congratulations on making it into the team!" Ootori looked like a father praising his son's achievements. That was also the first genuine congratulatory Yanagi had heard. "I wanted to tell you that yesterday, but I can't find you during practice."

"I appreciate your words." Yanagi truly did.

They sat in silence for a brief moment, until Ootori had found his voice.

"Also, about our usual night practice," Ootori dropped his spoon on his plate. "Is it okay if we don't continue it for a while?"

_"This is probably the last time we will meet in a while, Renji." Inui had said. "With the Prefecturals coming to an end and the Regionals coming up, I need to focus more on the team. I hope you can understand."_

"I understand."

"B-but I'm still around if you need any help." Ootori quickly added. "It's just that I thought that since you're in the team now, and Shishido-san seems to be really desperate about it…"

Yanagi raised an eyebrow. "I understand. I really do. There is no need for you to justify your reasons."

"If you say so…" Ootori resigned. The rest of the time were filled with trivial chatters.

The bell rang. "I guess I'll see you in practice later?" Ootori was the first to leave. Yanagi gave him an acknowledging nod. Yanagi did not move from the spot until a minute later, a question that he should not have persistently lurking in his mind.

_Would it have been better otherwise?_

* * *

It was finally the time for practice, Yanagi noted as he took his bag and rose from his seat. This would be the first time he would go as a member.

"Yanagi."

From the way the syllables of his name was drawled out, he could tell it was the blue haired regular calling him. Yanagi halted in his steps.

"I seemed to have missed some parts on my Math notes. Lend me yours?"

It was usually the other way around. First time for everything, Yanagi settled on that conclusion as he went to a nearby empty desk to take out the requested item. He approached Oshitari and gave him the book.

As soon as the book was taken off his hand, a key was placed in its stead.

"Wha-?"

"I accept the bribe." Oshitari explained calmly before Yanagi could even ask, placing Yanagi's notebook into his bag and preparing himself to leave for practice.

"That was not a novel." Yanagi pointed out. The key was still lying untouched on his palm.

"Did I say novel? I thought I only said 'book'." Oshitari shrugged and rose from his seat. When he realized Yanagi was not going to make any move soon, he added. "Anyway, I think you need it now than ever. But if you wanna be stubborn about it, then you can give me your 'bribe' some other time. Just take the key now."

Oshitari placed both hands on Yanagi's back and prompted the other man forward before he could protest. "It's almost time for practice. Stop blocking the way. You don't want to be late on your first practice." Oshitari walked past Yanagi ahead.

Yanagi took some time to process Oshitari's words. Then he grabbed his bag and followed behind, the key tightly clenched in his fist. He would give Oshitari the appropriate bribe. He would have a rematch against Atobe before they stepped down from the club.

He was thankful of the opportunity and he accepted it, but he would show them that Yanagi Renji did not need loopholes to be exploited.

Hachisuka lost, 5-7, to Saito Jin.

Saito Jin was the last reserves that Hachisuka had to defeat to prove his worth. Saito was also the reserve that Yukimura, Sanada, and everyone had thought would take up the empty spot in the regulars. Everyone except Yanagi.

Sanada kneaded his temple. From the two years they had spent together, Sanada had learnt that when Yanagi came up with ridiculous suggestions that no one else could agree with, it was the _majority_ that was wrong.

There should be a reason why Yanagi had pushed Hachisuka instead of Saito. Sanada still could not see the reason after watching tens of matches. Now, all he could only see was the reason why it should _not_ be Hachisuka.

"You have failed, Hachisuka Aki." Sanada said from the coach bench he had been observing the match from. "Saito Jin shall be the new regular."

If Hachisuka was going to become a regular, it would be on his own merit and not Yanagi's recommendation, Sanada had decided.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: It's been a while since the last update that I wonder if there's anyone who is still following this story until this point?


End file.
